Prinzessinnengärten

Next Friday, November, 18, our friends from the Zero G Sound DJ Collective will spin again some records at the club "west germany" in Berlin-Kreuzberg. This time they will select reggae, rocksteady, ska and dancehall tunes.

Their dj-set will be a part of a nice event with live music and djs celebrating the urban gardening project "Prinzessinnengärten".

Nomadisch Grün (Nomadic Green) launched Prinzessinnengärten (Princess gardens) as a pilot project in the summer of 2009 at Moritzplatz in Berlin Kreuzberg, a site which had been a wasteland for over half a century. Along with friends, fans, activists and neighbours, the group cleared away rubbish, built transportable organic vegetable plots and reaped the first fruits of their labour.

For a video about the Prinzessinnengarten with english subtitles click here

 

Etoile de Dakar - Same (International Music, 1980)

Etoile De Dakar was one of the most influential bands to come out of Senegal. Best known for its work with vocalist Yassour N'Dour, a member from 1975 to 1978, the group created a Latin-tinged style of African pop that influenced such western artists as Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and David Byrne.

The roots of the Etoile De Dakar were planted in 1960 when Ibra Kasse, owner of the Miami Club in Dakar, assembled members of two bands -- Guinea Band De Dakar and Star Band De Senui - and created a supergroup, known initially as The Star Band. Although it reached its apex with the arrival of N'Dour in 1975, The Star Band splintered three years later when several members left with N'Dour to form Etoile De Dakar. Relocating to Paris in 1983, the group changed its name to Super Etoile.
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Etoile de Dakar - Same (International Music, 1980)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky!

Next Friday, November, 11, our friends from the Zero G Sound DJ Collective will spin some groovy and funky records at a nice little bar in Berlin-Kreuzberg, called Tante Horst. Check out their fine mix of soul, funk, jazz, rhythm´n´blues and have fun!

VA - STUC Centenary Album - If It Wisnae For The Union (1997)

"Words make you think, music makes you feel, a song can make you feel a thought" ~ Pete Seeger

This nice compilation with Union related songs was created to mark the Centenary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress. It shows the close relationship between trade unionism and traditional music in general, and between Scottish singers and musicians and the STUC in particular.

In every country in the world, where working people come together, they organise trade unions to defend an improve their working conditions. In every country in the world, the working people sing and make music about their victories and defeats, their joys and sorrows, laughter and tears.

Please check out  Brian McNeil's "Sell your labour, not your soul" song.

 
Tracks:
1. Battle of the Somme/Freedom Come All Ye - Dubliners, Luke Kelly
2. Four Stone Walls - Capercaillie
3. Both Sides the Tweed - Dick Gaughan
4. Ravenscraig - Runrig
5. If It Wisnae for the Union - Hamish Imlach
6. Bawbee Birlin' - Gordeanna McCulloch
7. James Connolly - Christy Moore
8. North by North
9. Contract - Eric Bogle
10. Gauteng - Mara Louw
11. I Am the Common Man - The Battlefield Band
12. Blantyre Explosion - Ewan MacColl
13. Farewell Tae the Haven - The McCalmans
14. Sell Your Labour, Not Your Soul - Brian McNeill
15. Three Nights & A Sunday - Matt McGinn
16. Mothers, Daughters, Wives - Judy Small
17. Te Recuerdo Amanda - Victor Jara
18. Stand Together - Ceolbeg

VA - STUC Centenary Album - If It Wisnae For The Union

(320 kbps, cover art and booklet included)

The Special A.K.A. - Nelson Mandela (extended version)

In this song Jerry Dammers of the Special A.K.A demands the release of the leader of the African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela. He had been imprisoned by the South African government since 1964 on charges of sabotage and attempting to overthrow the government. Unsurprisingly this song couldn't be played freely in South Africa, however it helped install optimism within the black community there. Its success in Britain sparked an increasingly vocal campaign by the rock world to free Mandela, which culminated in the 1988 Mandela 70th birthday concert at Wembley Stadium in London. Prisoner no 46664 was finally released in February 1990 and became State President of South Africa in 1994.

Special A.K.A were fronted by former Specials songwriter and keyboardist Jerry Dammers. They were an offshoot of The Specials, after Terry Hall, Neville Staples and Lynval Golding had left the Ska band to form the Fun Boy Three. This was to be their only UK Top 40 hit.

 

Jerry Dammers told the Radio Times June 21-27 2008 about this song: "I knew very little about Mandela until I went to an anti-apartheid concert in London in 1983, which gave me the idea for 'Nelson Mandela,' I never knew how much impact the song would have; it was a hit around the world, and it got back into South Africa and was played at sporting events and ANC rallies-it became an anthem."

In the same Radio Times interview Dammers recalled finally meeting Mandela after a 1990 concert, which celebrated his release: "When I was introduced as the writer of 'Nelson Mandela,' he just said, 'Ah yes, very good.'"

 

Dammers told Uncut magazine January 2010 the story of the song: "It was a bit like the end of The Specials. When 'Nelson Mandela' came along, the band was falling to pieces. But I had this idea that I knew was really important, like 'Ghost Town.' so there was that desperation to get it down on tape, before the thing disintegrated completely. I wrote the tune to 'Nelson Mandela' before the lyrics. By that time, especially in London, rock music was dead. It was all electro-pop, hip hop, jazz or Latin. And also, Joe Hagen had this African club at Gossip's. I was inspired by the spirit and positivity of that African music. I was trying to get in a few Latin rhythms, but also township jazz. It was a very simple melody, three notes: C,A and E. That meant the public could sing it. And then I went to Nelson Mandela's 65th birthday party at Alexandra Palace. I'd never really heard of him, to be honest. Various bands sang about him, particularly Julian Bahula. And that's where I had the idea to put this message into this tune I had hanging around."

 

The Special A.K.A. - Nelson Mandela

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Sammy Walker - Songs From Woody's Pen (1979)

Sammy Walker (born July 7, 1952 near Atlanta, Georgia) is an American singer-songwriter. Influenced by the folk and country sounds of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, Walker emerged in the mid 1970s with two albums for the Folkways label and two albums for Warner Brothers. While appearing on Bob Fass's radio show in 1975, he caught the ear of Phil Ochs, who was impressed by the young songwriter and agreed to produce his first album with Folkways. Walker recorded two albums for Warner Brothers under the tutelage of producer Nick Venet, and toured Europe in 1978 and again in 1986. After recording an album of Woody Guthrie songs in 1979, he did not record again until 1989. "Misfit Scarecrow" - the first album released by Sammy Walker in over twelve years - was released on July 22, 2008.

Sammy Walker recorded Songs from Woody’s Pen in 1979, twelve years after Woody Guthrie died due to complications from Huntington’s disease. Though the original recordings of these songs date back more than 30 years, Walker sings them in a traditional folk-revivalist manner reminiscent of Guthrie’s social conscience and sense of humor. Speaking of Guthrie, Sammy Walker said, "I can’t think of hardly anyone who has had as much influence on my own singing and songwriting as Woody." This is Walker’s enduring record of that influence.



Tracks:
01. The Grand Coulee Dam
02. Pastures Of Plenty
03. Talking Dust Bowl Blues
04. Deportee
05. Vigilante Man
06. Ramblin' Round
07. Jackhammer John
08. 1913 Massacre
09. Tom Joad
10. Philadelphia Lawer
11. Pretty Boy Floyd

Sammy Walker - Songs From Woody´s Pen (1979)
(ca. 200 kbps, cover art inlcuded)

Heidi Berry - Firefly (1987)

Heidi Berry cut a stark contrast to the prevailing musical mentality of the early '90s - despite releasing records on both Creation and 4AD, together the leading lights of the shoegazing and dream pop movements, her haunting, luminous folk-inspired sound instead harked back to the work of Sandy Denny and Nick Drake, complete with an earnestness and raw honesty far removed from her irony drenched times.

Heidi Berry's debut release, originally on Creation, sounds rather jauntier than her later efforts.
Firefly's folk/rock/pop confection, in its own way, anticipates the huge popularity of that combination in the 1990s among female vocalists - and grows out of similar roots of the past, as well. Berry's calm but not remotely cool singing is the most relaxed thing about the midpaced songs, which all have good energetic performances from her studio band. The songs all tend to resemble each other a touch - the waltz-time swing of "Houses Made of Wood" and the piano-led "Hasten the Buds to Bloom" are fine exceptions to this - but the overall pleasantness can't be faulted, and Berry's voice is simply quite enjoyable.

Standouts include the title track (with notable piano accompaniment) and "Nobody Tells on You," with an understated romantic wryness. Credit for the solid sound on the EP goes to both Berry as producer and her engineer

A1 Out Of My Hands 3:05
A2 Firefly 2:59
A3 Nobody Tells On You 3:35
B1 Will It All Change 3:25
B2 Houses Made Of Wood 3:01
B3 Hasten The Buds To Bloom 1:56
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Heidi Berry - Firefly (1987)
(320 kbps, front cover included)

VA - Calypso Calaloo, Early Carnival Music In Trinidad (Rounder)

Rounder Records deserves much praise for brightening up the often dull and familiar American pop musicscape with a flurry of releases that challenge our stereotypical view of "island music." This is particularly true of the music of Trinidad and Tobago, identified in the American popular mind with the synthetic Calypso-meets-disco sound of soca. While soca is a more complex and worthy genre than some opine, it's associated less with Calypso's social protest and hilariously witty innuendo than with less-graceful expressions like popular soca artist Arrow's sexual request in "Winey Winey" to "winey winey 'pon your pum-pum."

This fascinating CD puts the gleam on the fine old wood of the earliest Calypso songs, featuring wonderfully baroque orchestrations from the finest T&T Calypso orchestras from 1914 to the '50s, with elegant keyboard passages, swooning strings, snaking horns, exotic male choruses with African overtones, and the sublime vocals of seminal Calypsonians such as Lionel Belasco, Roaring Lion, Babb and Williams, Houdini, Lord Executor, and Lord Invader. This collection of treasures from the Smithsonian, other archives, and commercial studios transformed a series of tracks by the set's producers into a heady taste of carnival through the decades.

Calypso Calaloo is actually the aural accompaniment to Donald R. Hill's written volume Calypso Calaloo: Early Carnival Music in Trinidad, a fascinating account of that island's music pioneers, its world-famous annual carnival, and the culture that spawned it.
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VA - Calypso Calaloo - Early Carnival Music In Trinidad
(256 kbps, front cover included)

Tom Ashley & Tex Isley - Play and Sing American Folk Music (Folkways, 1966)

Biography:
"A medicine show performer in the 1910s and 1920s, Clarence (Tom) Ashley influenced the urban folk revival when his early recordings were included on the Folkways album Anthology of American Folk Music in 1952. Although he had retired from the medicine show circuit in 1943, he made a successful comeback in the early '60s when he recorded a pair of albums that introduced influential flatpicking guitarist Arthel "Doc" Watson.

Ashley, who took his last name from the maternal grandfather who raised him, was inspired by the jokes and songs that he heard played by transients who boarded in his family home. His mother's two older sister taught him songs and instructed him on the banjo. Joining his first medicine show in 1913, Ashley traveled by horse and buggy through the southern Appalachian region, playing songs while "the doc" sold his elixirs. In 1914, he married Hettie Osborne and settled in Shouns, TN.

Although he supplemented his income as a musician by farming and working at a sawmill, Ashley continued to perform. By 1927, Ashley was performing with numerous string bands, including the Blue Ridge Entertainers. He recorded as a member of Byrd Moore & His Hot Shots and the Carolina Tar Heels. His solo debut came in 1929 when he recorded "The Cuckoo Bird" and "The House Carpenter" for Columbia. Signed to a solo contract by both Columbia (as Clarence Ashley) and Victor (as Tom Ashley), he recorded for both labels until 1933.

Retiring from the medicine shows in 1943, Ashley bought a truck and, with his son J.D., hauled coal, furniture, and lumber. His performances were limited to working as a comedian with Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners and the Stanley Brothers.

While his songs were revived by string band instrumentalists in the 1950s, Ashley disappeared almost completely from the music scene. Attending the Union Grove Old Time Fiddlers Convention in 1960, he met folklorist Ralph Rinzler, who, with folk song collector Eugene Earle, set up a recording session at Ashley's daughter's home in Saltville, VA. Ashley invited Watson to accompany him on guitar. The session marked the acoustic guitar debut for Watson, who had previously played electric guitar in rockabilly and country bands. Beginning in 1961, Ashley and Watson, joined by fiddler Fred Price, performed at northern folk festivals, coffeehouses, and clubs. Their concert at New York'sTown Hall was recorded and released as their second album. Ashley recorded an additional album with fiddler Tex Isley."
-Allmusic.com



Tracklist:

May I Sleep In Your Barn Tonite Mister?
Rude and Rambling Man
Whoa, Mule
Faded Roses
Shout Little Lulu
The House Carpenter
I'm The Man That Rode The Mule Around The World
Wild Bill Jones
The Little Log Cabin in The Lane
Cluck, Old Hen
Frankie Silvers
The Prisoner's Song
Hard Luck Blues
Little Hillside

Tom Ashley & Tex Isley - Play And Sing American Folk Music (1966)
(224 kbps, cover art included)

Rex Jim Lawson - The Highlife King In London (vinyl rip, 1970)

Until his untimely death in the 1970s, Erekosima (Rex Jim) Lawson was a standard-bearer of the Nigerian highlife scene whose tunes achieved popularity across Africa. Of mixed Kalabari and Igbo parentage, he was born in the town of New Kalabar in present-day Rivers State, and got his start in Port Harcourt's Starlite Melody Orchestra, led by "Lord" Eddyson.

By 1960 he was leading his own group, the Nigeraphone Studio Orchestra of Onitsha and had played with the "big names" of Nigerian highlife - Bobby Benson, Roy Chicago, Victor Olaiya and others.

With his second group, the Majors Band of Nigeria (variously called the "Mayors Band," and in later years the "Rivers Men"), he scored innumerable hits over the sixties and early seventies, notably "Jolly Papa," "Adure," "Ibi na Bo," and many others. Of these, the biggest was "Sawale," in pidgen English, which has become an African music standard and been remade numerous times by various artists. Lawson's fluency in various languages and dialects has only enhanced his appeal across class and ethnic lines in West Africa.

Rex Jim Lawson - The Highlife King In London (1970)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Super Ensemble Webert Sicot – La Flèche D'or D'Haiti (1967)

Webert Sicot (1930 – February 1985) was an Haïtian sax player, composer and band leader. He is recognized as one of the creators of konpa dirèk, a style of Haïtian dance music born in the 1950s.

Sicot was born in Port-au-Prince, Haití, in 1930. He took his first musical lessons from Augustin Bruno. He made his debut as professional with Claudin Toussaint's Jazz Capois. He also worked with the groups Jazz des Jeunes and the Saieh orchestra, in the second half or the 1950s.

He founded with Nemours Jean-Baptiste the Conjunto Internacional and took part in the Citadelle orchestra and Casino Internacional Band. With Jean Baptiste, he created the konpa dirék, a variation of the Haïtian merengue. In 1961 he commenced a solo career and became one of the pioneers of cadence rampa. He played several instruments as trumpet, bass, piano and drums.

Sicot died in February 1985 and is considered as one of the most influentials band leaders in Haïtian popular music.

 

Super Ensemble Webert Sicot - La Fleche D´Or D´Haiti (1967)

(192 kbps, cover art included)

The Mighty Duke, Canary, Fighter, Blakie - This Is Calypso!

Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song. This forged a sense of community among the Africans, who saw their colonial masters change rapidly, bringing French, Spanish and British music styles to the island of Trinidad. The French brought Carnival to Trinidad, and calypso competitions at Carnival grew in popularity, especially after the abolition of slavery in 1834. While most authorities stress the African roots of calypso, in his 1986 book "Calypso from France to Trinidad, 800 Years of History" veteran calypsonian The Roaring Lion (Rafael de Leon) asserted that calypso descends from the music of the medieval French troubadours.
Kelvin Pope, known in the Calypso world as 'The Mighty Duke', is a legendary Calypsonian whose work spans a period of over fifty years.

Born in 1930 in Point Fortin, south Trinidad, 'Duke' grew up in a period that was marked by striking workers who challenged the colonial authorities by protesting against working conditions, wages, racism and exploitation in the oilfields.

Growing up in this turbulent period would have a lasting impact on Kelvin Pope and the music that he would create in years to come.
He started his calypso career at a calypso tent in Point Fortin but moved to the Southern Brigade Tent in San Fernando in the early 1960s. He then joined the Original Young Brigade Tent in Port-of-Spain where he performed from 1964 to 1967. He won the National Calypso Crown four times: 1968 ("What Is Calypso" and "Social Bacchanal"); 1969 ("Black Is Beautiful" and "One Foot Visina"); 1970 ("Brotherhood of Man" and See Through"); and 1971 ("Mathematical Formula" and "Melvine & Yvonne"). He also won the Road March title in 1987 with "Thunder." He died in 2009.

Tracklist.
1 The Mighty Duke - What is Calypso ?
2 The Mighty Duke - Woman baccanal
3 Canary - Beatnik generation
4 Canary - Tribute to Luther King
5 Fighter - What you sow you reap
6 Fighter - Pom pom
7 Fighter - Send me instead
8 Blakie - Monica

9 Blakie - We ain't going back again

10 The Mighty Duke - Send them girls by me

The Mighty Duke, Canary, Fighter, Balkie - This Is Calypso!

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Amiri Baraka - New Music New Poetry (1980)

Poet, playwright, critic, and novelist Amiri Baraka (born Everett LeRoi Jones) is best known to the jazz community for his two books, "Blues People: Negro Music in White America", published in 1964, and "Black Music" in 1967, both as LeRoi Jones.

Long before this, however, Baraka was identified with the New York School of poets and the Beats (he was included in Donald Allen's seminal anthology "The New American Poetry"). His first book of poetry, "Preface to a Twenty-Volume Suicide Note" was published in 1961. With Diane Di Prima he founded and edited the legendary "Floating Bear" newsletter. Baraka founded the Black Arts Repertory Theater/School and won an Obie award for his play "Dutchman" in 1964. He was an outspoken leader in the Black Nationalist movement in the late '60s and was a close associate - as well as spiritual godfather - to the Black Panther Party.

He changed his name to Imamu Amiri Baraka, and later dropped "Imamu" (a Muslim word for "spiritual leader") in 1970. Remaining an activist, Baraka dropped his nationalist stance in 1974 and adopted a Marxist/Leninist one and is regarded as one of the most influential African-American writers of the 20th century.

With influences on his work ranging from artists as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane,
Thelonius Monk, and Sun Ra to the Cuban Revolution, Malcolm X and world revolutionary movements,
Baraka is renown as the founder of the Black Arts Movement in Harlem in the 1960s that became,
though short-lived, the virtual blueprint for a new American theater aesthetics.

He recorded the wildly controversial play "Black Mass" with Sun Ra & His Arkestra in 1968 (issued on the Jihad label) and the amazing "New Music New Poetry" with saxophonist David Murray in 1980 on India Navigation. Baraka has added one more volume to his shelf of music criticism, "The Music: Reflections on Jazz and Blues", which he and Amina Baraka, his wife, published in 1987. Baraka has taught at SUNY Buffalo and Columbia University, and he is currently a professor of Africana studies at SUNY, Stony Brook. He lives in Newark, NJ.

Amiri Baraka - New Music New Poetry (1980)
(230 kbps, cover art included)

Holiday break

It´s time for summer holidays - so there will be no new posts in the next two weeks. Have a nice time and enojoy yourself!

Tyrone Taylor - Move Up Blackman (1976, Wolf)

Although Jamaican singer Tyrone Taylor recorded in a series of styles and genres rooted in the Caribbean tradition, he remains best known for 1983's soulful lovers rock ballad "Cottage in Negril."

Born in rural St. Elizabeth in 1957, Taylor cut his first record at just 12, lending his rich, emotive voice to the Joe Gibbs-produced "Delilah." Although the song was later issued overseas as the flip side of the Dennis Walks hit "Having a Party," Taylor was less than pleased with the end result and briefly teamed with singer Vince Brown in the Soul Menders.

His initial struggles forced him to question the realities of a career in music, and he spent the next several years learning a series of instruments under local session players, chief among them the legendary guitarist Willie Lindo, who encouraged Taylor to return to singing. In 1972 he resurfaced in the Soul Twins, cutting the anthems "Don't Call Me Nigga" and "Rastafari Ruler" for producer Clancy Eccles before resuming his solo career with a series of little-noticed singles including "Fight It Blackman."

Taylor first earned significant attention and airplay in 1975 under the wing of producer Jack Ruby, scoring a series of well-received hits including "Life Table" and "I'd Like to Know." With 1977's Niney the Observer-produced "Sufferation," he scored his biggest and most memorable single to date, earning a special King Tubby remix in the process. After a series of middling follow-ups, including "Can't Stop Rastaman Now," a reggae rewrite of the McFadden & Whitehead disco classic "Ain't No Stopping Us Now," Taylor self-produced "Cottage in Negril" in 1981.

Inspired by both a failed romance and the recent rise to power of the conservative Labor party, complete with the sounds of cocaine snorts between verses, the single slowly but surely emerged as a chart blockbuster, and two years later was picked up for international distribution by MCA. However, the follow-up single, "Pledge to the Sun," bombed, and MCA shelved a proposed LP. In the meantime, Taylor's struggles with drug addiction grew even more serious, and in the decade to follow he recorded only sporadically, generating some notice in 1987 via "Members Only" and "Be for Real." Lindo stepped in to produce 1993's full-length The Way to Paradise, widely celebrated as a return to creative form, and a year later Taylor teamed with producer Clive Hunt for the hit "Rainy Sunset." But Taylor never conquered his personal demons, eventually suffering a handful of strokes and spending the remainder of his life confined to a wheelchair; he died of prostate cancer in Kingston on December 1, 2007.

Tyrone Taylor - Move Up Blackman (1976)

(320 kbps, front cover included)

VA - La Revolución Mexicana (Orfeón, 2 CDs)

The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution changed from a revolt against the established order to a multi-sided civil war.

After prolonged struggles, its representatives produced the Mexican Constitution of 1917. The Revolution is generally considered to have lasted until 1920, although the country continued to have sporadic, but comparatively minor, outbreaks of warfare well into the 1920s.

 

This record needs no explanation ..

Tracklist:

 

Disc 1:
Silvestre Vargas - La Adelita
Jorge Negrete - El Desterrado
Lucha Moreno - Corrido del Norte
Chavela Vargas - Corrido de Cananea
Alejandro Rivera - La Cama de Piedra
Charro Avitia - Maria la Bandida
Trío Tariácuri - Soldado de Levita
Chavela Vargas- Heraclio Bernal
Trío Calaveras - Alla en el Rancho Grande
Banda Sinaloense - La Rielera
Luis Aguilar - El Adios del Soldado
Alejandro Algara - Pajarillo Barranqueño
Conjunto Durango - Polka Revolucionaria
Los Llaneros de San Felipe - La Toma de Torreón
Silvestre Vargas - Lamarieta

Disc 2:
Jorge Negrete - La Valentina
Antonio Bribiesca - La Cucaracha
Francisco Avita - El Siete Leguas
Los Tejones - La Escondida
Luis Aguilar - Carabina 30-30
Chavela Vargas - Benjamin Argumedo
Lucha Moreno - Bala Perdida
Silvestre Vargas - Jesusita en Chihuahua
Jorge Fernández - Cuatro Milpas
Jorge Negrete - Me He de Comer Esa Tuna
El Auténtico Tamborazo Zacatecano - La Toma de Zacatecas
Los Pantoja y Sus Villistas - Gabino Barrera
Dueto Azteca - Rosita Alvirez
Emmanuel Gomez - La Tumba de Villa
Silvestre Vargas - La Marcha de Zacatecas

 

VA - La Revolucion Mexicana (2 CDs)

(128 kbps)

The Ex - Dead Fish (1990)

The Ex are an anarchist band from Amsterdam, Netherlands.

"Dead Fish" is a suite of songs about surviving in the rock'n'roll jungle, coughed up with an amount of bile only The Ex could summon. A direct attack on the commercialisation of indie music and the creaky industries that support its mass market consumption. The Ex are still committed naturals in an over exposed and hyped arena.

"Dead Fish" was recorded at KGM Studio, Wakefield, England, and was released as a 10" EP in June 1990. It was produced by Jon Langford with Terrie (guitar), G.W. Sok (vocals), Luc (bass) and Katrin (drums).

Tracklist:

01. Dead Fish
02. Blah Blah
03. White Liberals
04. Elvis + I
05. No More Cigars
06. Mousetrap
07. Get Your Share

The Ex - Dead Fish (1990)
(192 kbps, no cover art included)

Gil Scott-Heron - The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron - A Collection of Poetry and Music

"The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron" (subtitled "A Collection of Poetry and Music") is a 1978 album by spoken word and rap pioneer Gil Scott-Heron. Like many of Scott-Heron's albums, the album's content primarily addresses political and social issues; however, The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron relies far more on his spoken word delivery than his other albums.

Whereas much of the artist's earlier albums contained backup jazz-funk music from Brian Jackson, many of these tracks, which address contemporary issues such as Watergate, the pardon of Richard Nixon and the Attica Prison riot, are either live recordings or studio-recorded songs with little more than sparse drum backing or occasional instrumentation.

But what makes Gil Scott-Heron’s poems so powerful is that they don’t serve just as snapshots of a time past, put seem as pertinent today as ever. For the basic issues he’s taking about - our country’s military presence abroad, the rising prison population, political corruption, the growing influence of the wealthiest corporations on governmental policy, police brutality, etc. - have not disappeared in the last 30 years, and in some cases are continually growing worse. It’s hard to hear Scott-Heron say “Ask them what we’re fighting for and they never mention the economics of war” and not see the relevance still today.

Gil Scott Heron’s poetry is so powerful in part because of the issues he raises, but his delivery, style and articulateness can’t go unmentioned. A few of the tracks here are live, and the audience’s reactions drive home the humor and general friendly tone that Scott-Heron exudes, even while ripping our government to shreds (and rightfully so). He also uses repetition and verbal devices, taking a phrase and building a poem around the permutations of it. “The Ghetto Code” uses the letter ‘C’ to jump into all sorts of issues, while the first track on the album leads off with a faux phone call (famously used by Boogie Down Productions on their classic “Why Is That?”): “Click! Whirr…Click! ‘I’m sorry, the government you have elected is inoperative’.”

Gil Scott-Heron - The Mind Of Gil Scott-Heron
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Guy Debord - Society Of The Spectacle

Guy Debord's "THE SOCIETY OF THE SPECTACLE", originally published in 1967,
is easily the most important radical book of the twentieth century.

Contrary to popular misconceptions, Debord's book is neither an ivory tower of
"philosophical discourse" nor an impulsive "rant" or "protest." It is an
effort to clarify the nature of the situation in which we find ourselves and
the advantages and drawbacks of various methods for changing it. It examines
the most fundamental tendencies and contradictions of the present society --
what is really going on behind the spectacular surface phenomena that we are
conditioned to perceive as the only reality.

Guy Debord, the self-proclaimed leader of the Situationist International, was certainly responsible for the longevity and high profile of Situationist ideas, although the equation of the SI with Guy Debord would be misleading.
Brilliant but autocratic, Debord helped both unify situationist praxis and destroy its expansion into areas not explicitly in line with his own ideas.

His text "The Society of the Spectacle" remains today one of the great theoretical works on modern-day capital, cultural imperialism, and the role of mediation in social relationships.

You can read it here:
http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents/4

...or here:
http://www.bopsecrets.org/images/sos.pdf

VA - Funeral Songs - Dead Man Blues

"We weep when a child is born into this world.
We sing and dance when the good Lord takes someone home." - Mourmer at a Jazz Funeral

The traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral is as much a part of New Orleans culture as is traditonal jazz itself. If could almost be said, the jazz grew out of the funeral music of the New Orleans of the late nineteenth century. The roots of the tradition are believed to be hundreds of years old, and to be connected to the culture of the people who occupy the are of West Africa that is now called Benin and Nigeria; this region of Africa was known as the "Slave Coast" to the Europeans of the seventeenth century. The captured people of that area took with them to the New World a sophisticated social structure that included two aspects important to the traditional New Orleans Jazz Funeral. Firstly, societies, often secret, were formed to ensure that their members received a proper burial at the time of death, and secondly, a funeral was seen as a major celebration. With the "Christianisation" of the African-Americans that occured over the ensuing centuries and with the growth of the Baptist and Methodist Churches in particualr, another factor came into play that surely strenghtened this notion of a funeral as a celebration. This was the commonly held belief that a birth, an arrival in the secualr world, was a time for tears, and a death, an end to earthly sorrows, was a time for rejoicing.

So, it would be unusual for a New Orleans inhabitant not to be a member of some organisation or other. On their death, that individuals would be accompanied to their final resting-place by the brass band of the society of which he or she was a member. The traditional New Orleans Funeral had two stages accompanied by music. The first was a procession of mourners journeying slowly to the cemetery accompanied by a brass band playing a slow, mournful dirge or spiritual. This was followed after the burial itself by a lively return from the cemetery to the sound of rousing music. And what better rosing music could there be than that played by a couple of "hot" jazz musicians?

Wonderful compilation with songs by Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Jelly roll Morton, Clarence Williams, the Eureka Brass Band and many more:

Funeral Songs - Dead Man Blues CD 1
Funeral Songs - Dead Man Blues CD 2

Walter Benjamin - The Work Of Art In The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction (1936)

Walter Benjamin was a German marxist and literary critic.

Born into a prosperous Jewish family, Benjamin studied philosophy in Berlin, Freiburg, Munich, and Bern. He settled in Berlin in 1920 and worked thereafter as a literary critic and translator. His half-hearted pursuit of an academic career was cut short when the University of Frankfurt rejected his brilliant but unconventional doctoral thesis, "The Origin of German Tragic Drama" (1928).
Benjamin eventually settled in Paris after leaving Germany in 1933 after Hitler came to power. He continued to write essays and reviews for literary journals, but when Paris fell to the Nazis in 1940 he fled south with the hope of escaping to the US via Spain.

Informed by the chief of police at the Franco-Spanish border that he would be turned over to the Gestapo, Benjamin committed suicide.
The posthumous publication of Benjamin’s prolific output won him a growing reputation in the later 20th century. The essays containing his philosophical reflections on literature are written in a dense and concentrated style that contains a strong poetic strain. He mixes social criticism and linguistic analysis with historical nostalgia while communicating an underlying sense of pathos and pessimism. The metaphysical quality of his early critical thought gave way to a Marxist inclination in the 1930s.
Benjamin’s pronounced intellectual independence and originality are evident in the extended essay "Goethe’s Elective Affinities" and the essays collected in "Illuminations".
The approach to art of the USSR under Stalin was typified, first, by the persecution of all those who expressed any independent thought, and, second, by the adoption of Socialist Realism - the view that art is dedicated to the "realistic" representation of - simplistic, optimistic - "proletarian values" and proletarian life.
Subsequent Marxist thinking about art has been largely influenced by Walter Benjamin and Georg Lukács however. Both were exponents of Marxist humanism who saw the important contribution of Marxist theory to aesthetics in the analysis of the condition of labour and in the critique of the alienated and "reified" consciousness of man under capitalism.

Benjamin’s collection of essays The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936, just follow the link and enjoy reading...) attempts to describe the changed experience of art in the modern world and sees the rise of Fascism and mass society as the culmination of a process of debasement, whereby art ceases to be a means of instruction and becomes instead a mere gratification, a matter of taste alone.

"Communism responds by politicising art" - that is, by making art into the instrument by which the false consciousness of the mass man is to be overthrown.

Eric Gale - Negril (with Peter Tosh)

Some weeks ago someone asked in the comment section for Eric Gale´s "Negril" - now here it is!

For some reggae connoisseurs this is one of the greatest record you never heard.

Eric Gale was home in Negril wailing on his guitar behind some serious lambs bred. This album was recorded in Jamaica before Eric Gale went back to New York to become one of the most in-demand East Coast session guitarists. The music is laid-back instrumental Reggae.

This album is some of the most musically advanced reggae you can find. The tracks are all sizzling with dancing groove energy that is the perfect mix of soul and reggae. Paints a perfect picture of the beaches of Negril in Jamaica. If you like reggae and James Brown and Marvin Gaye and Phish, you should give this album a try.

Have a look at the list of the involved musicians and you get an idea of the quality:
Eric Gale (Lead Guitar), Peter Tosh (Rhythm Guitar), Richard Tee (Piano), Keith Sterling (Piano), Leslie Butler (Organ & Synthesizer), Cedric "Im" Brooks (Saxophone, Percussion), Val Douglas (Bass Guitar), Aston "Family Man" Barrett (Bass Guitar), Paul Douglas (Drums), Sparrow Martin (Drums), Joe Higgs (Percussion), Isiah "Sticky" Thompson (Percussion).

Eric Gale - Negril (with Peter Tosh)
(256 kbps, front cover included)

VA - Gospel At Newport - Recorded at the Newport Festival 1959 & 1963 - 66 (Vanguard)

The Newport Folk Festival in its 1960s heyday was noted for spotlighting new and old folkies and, to a lesser degree, rediscovered bluesmen. One of the complementary elements to the fest, however, was gospel, with leading lights of the day turning up on the regular program and as part of Sunday morning workshops.

Vanguard Records' 19-song anthology gathers a dozen performers singing songs of praise. Not all the featured artists fall into the strict gospel camp; nonsecular stalwarts including the Dixie Hummingbirds, the Swan Silvertones, and Dorothy Love Coats and the Original Gospel Harmonettes are sequenced alongside the likes of astonishing Bahaman guitarist Joseph Spence, the soulful Staples Singers, and Delta bluesman Son House.The setting has a slight modifying effect on the performers, but as a documentation of the meeting of two very different communities - the older, black, god-fearing performers and a young, white, mostly curious audience - "Gospel at Newport" is hard to beat.

VA - Gospel At Newport (1959, 1963 - 1966)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Last Set At Newport (1971)

"Last Set at Newport" is a short but interesting Brubeck release. Of special note is the extended version of "Take Five," on which Gerry Mulligan reinterprets the sax part into a gritty acid-jazz. The quartet is in full swing in this recording displaying enormous energy to every piece. The three pieces are explored in the solos to a significant length and it is this element that makes this album so appealing.

The Dave Brubeck-Gerry Mulligan quartet is heard in a very inspired performance at the Newport Jazz Festival, just a short time before a riot by the audience closed the festival. These versions of "Take Five" and "Open the Gates" are memorable, but it is the extended "Blues for Newport" that is truly classic. Mulligan and Brubeck (backed by bassist Jack Six and drummer Alan Dawson) constantly challenge each other during this exciting performance, making this set well-worth searching for.

This is not an album for a mellow night at home. Rather it will get your heart pumping.

From the linernotes:
"Dave Brubeck was never shy about coming down hard on his piano keyboard, and this live performance at the 1971 Newport Jazz Festival is perhaps the least subtle of all his recordings. After hearing these tracks and the responsiveness of the crowd, listeners will have no doubt that this is exactly what the occasion called for.
Alan Dawson (drums) and Jack Six (bass) do an excellent job of preserving the Brubeck tradition while contributing to their legendary leader's evolution in the 1970s. And of course, Gerry Mulligan, who set the standard for baritone saxophonists, is a perfect solution to the dilemma of what to do after Paul Desmond. He makes "Take Five" sound like a brand new tune. And check out what Brubeck and Mulligan do in the opener "Blues for Newport." Many times since I acquired the original LP in the early 1970s, I've found myself humming this tune - and stealing licks from it for my own solos.
This is a short program with only three tracks totaling just under 35 minutes, but it's fun to hear how much energy can be generated by an acoustic quartet. It's a must-have for fans of Brubeck and Mulligan."

Tracklist:

1. Introduction - Father Norman O'Connor

2. Blues For Newport

3. Take Five

4. Open The Gates (Out Of The Way Of The People)

Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Last Set At Newport (1971)
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Babadi - Resistance (African Reggae)

Babadi is a reggae artist from the Comore Islands who burst on the scene in 1997 with socially conscious lyrics and a staunch defense of modern M'godro (traditional comorian song tradition). His third album "Résistance" made him a permanent figure on the Mahoran scene. His music blends M'godro with an Afro-Mahoran reggae backed by insistent percussion (think central African Kwassa tinted with Mauritian Seggae) and lightened by typical Mahoran lyric melodies.

The songs are engaged, as always, since «Chigoma Ya Léo», his first album which already talks about political hypocrisis, about decolonisation, polygamy and the consequences of rough modernity. His words touch because of its simplicity and provocates the awakening of consciences. His music finds its way between tradition (Chigowa) and modernity (Ya Léo) and in «Résistance», the brasses, voices and percussions invite us to a festive Mgodro who meets the warm rythmes of African Reggae music. Concerning the production, he managed to gather with professionnal partners.

Babadi - Resistance (African Reggae)
(192 kbps, front & back cover included, ca. 92 MB)

Rootsman: From The Dubplate Basket Vol. 1

The Rootsman is a musician and DJ based in Bradford, England. After playing in the punk band “State Oppression” he started his first local sound system in 1985 and was a pirate radio activist. Nowadays he is one of the most important neo dub producers and is running the “Third Eye Music” label.

For our great pleasure Rootsman made an absolutely breathtaking free dubplate mix-cd featuring a lot exclusive dubplates. His emphasis is on great tunes, cut with creativity in an unbelievable line up. Alongside the voices of great reggae artist, you will hear dubplates from artists from the Third Eye Music family (D. Bo General, Bongo Chilli, YT, Tony G.).

You will find the download link in the news section on the The Rootsman website or you can download it via
Rootsman - From The Dubplate Basket Vol. 1

Tracklist:
1. ROBERT LEE: BANG BANG
2. MICHAEL BUCKLEY: CRY OF A SOUNDBOY
3. SUGARBLACK: RUB A DUB
4. ANTHONY JOHNSON: OH WHAT A DAY
5. EARL 16: REGGAE ROCK
6. U BROWN: ROOTSMAN SOUND
7. TONY G: IF I EVER
8. SAMMY DREAD: THEY DIDN?T KNOW
9. GYPTIAN: JUDGEMENT NIGHT
10. YT: WICKED ACT
11. D.BO GENERAL: MAMA
12. ECHO MINOTT/HOPETON JAMES: DON´T TEST
13. JOHNNY OSBOURNE: HE CAN SURELY TURN THE TIDE
14. TURBULENCE: ON MY WAY
15. FRISCO KID: REVENGE
16. ROBERT LEE: LIVE GOOD
17. D.BO GENERAL: STRANGE THINGS
18. PHILIP FRASER: COME ROOTSMAN
19. BRAVEHEART: RED EYES
20. EVERTON BLENDER/DETERMINE: TIME LIKE THIS
21. JUNIOR DELGADO: KING OF KINGS
22. D.BO GENERAL: FREEDOM
23. TAFFARI: MORE ROOTSMAN
24. JOHNNY CLARKE: BABYLON
25. BUSHMAN: YADD AWAY HOME
26. BONGO CHILLI: READ YOUR BIBLE
27. LUCIANO: FINAL CALL
28. EARL 16: CHANGING WORLD
29. FRED LOCKS: BLACK STAR LINER
30. JOSEY WALES: SLACKNESS DEAD
31. EARL 16: PRESSURE
32. TURBULENCE: NOTORIOUS
33. LYMIE: LOVE WE MUST HAVE

Big up the Rootsman Soundsystem and D. Bo Gegeral!

Do The Reggay!

A few years ago René Wynands wrote a wonderful book about the ever-changing history of jamaican music from the early days of pocomania to nowadays dancehall dons.

Beacause the book is out of print for a long time, Mr. Wynand gives us all an alternative oportunity to read his work:

You can download the whole text on the following site (pdf-file in german language): http://www.oktober.de/reggae/ .

The Weavers - The Best Of The Weavers (1959)

The Weavers - comprised of Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman and Ronnie Gilbert - were the most important group of the folk revival. They helped invent hootenany culture, and charged it with a political urgency. They sang everything: Maoist anthems, civil rights hymns, even children's songs like "If I Had a Hammer."

The Decca recordings are historic but not always indicative of the Weavers art. "Goodnight Irene" ia given more production than suited the quartet's ethos, even if those songs would help change America forever.

The recording career ofthe Weavers falls into two categories: pre-blacklist and post-blacklist. In their pre-blacklist days, they recorded for Decca, and their adaptations of folk songs were backed by orchestras and choruses. Frequently, these songs (notably "Goodnight Irene"), were giant pop hits.

Tracklist:

Side 1:
1. Goodnight Irene
2. Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
3. So Long (It's Been Good to Know Yuh)
4. Old Paint (Ride Along Little Dogies)
5. Around the Corner (Beneath the Berry Tree)
6. Wimoweh

Side 2:
1. On Top of Old Smokey
2. The Wreck of the John B
3. Midnight Special
4. The Roving Kind
5. Lonesome Traveler
6. When the Saints Go Marching In

The Weavers - The Best Of The Weavers (1959)
(192 kbps, front cover included)

The Abyssinians - Forward On To Zion (1978)

Few groups better captured the heart and soul of roots reggae than the Abyssinians; the vocal trio's heavenly close harmonies, dark melodies, and Rastafarian themes, all delivered with a deep spiritual feeling, were instrumental in defining and refining the genre.

The Abyssinians were formed in 1968 by founding members Donald Manning, Bernard Collins and Linford Manning. It was in 1969 with their release “Satta Massagana” recorded on Coxson Dodd’s Studio One label - a Rastafarian hymn based on the Ethiopian Amharic language, that launched them into the ranks of Reggae music greats. “Satta Massagana” became one of reggae’s most popular songs; becoming an anthem that was heard on the radios, in the dancehalls and in the churches of Jamaica. It was also covered by many other International artists’ including Third World.

"Forward On To Zion" is an alternative title for the "Satta Massagana" album, released in 1978 on the Different labe. It is one of those legendary reggae albums: if you had to pick the five most influential Rasta anthems of the 1970s (and Jah knows there have been few if any since then), the title track of this album would be one of them. So, most likely, would "Declaration of Rights," which has been remade in countless different versions. And the Abyssinians themselves are a fine vocal trio. So enjoy this wonderful album!

The Abyssinians - Forward On To Zion (1978)

(256 kbps, cover art included)

Super Eagles - Viva Super Eagles (Gambia, 1968)

The Gambian band Super Eagles were pioneers of popular music in the Senegambian region at the end of the 1960s/start of the 70s, delivering a progressive blend of afrocuban, pop, soul, bluebeat, Congolese rumba, highlife and ndagga music. Using Wolof lyrics & rhythms, ndagga is the basis of what was to become 'mbalax'. During their five year existence, the Super Eagles became one of the best travelled bands in West Africa.

Apart from the LP 'Viva Super Eagles' they released 4 singles, recorded in the Ghana Film Studios, which at the time was one of the few West African studios with sophisticated recording facilities.

Tracklist:
(A) VIVA SUPER EAGLES (Touray,Cham)
      DOHI GUDI BAHUT (D.Ndiaye)
      GAMBIA SU NOUS RAEW (O.Ndiaye,Jobe)
      ADUNA POTI NDALA (Cham,Gassama)
      LOVE'S A REAL THING (Touray,Jobe)
      HEY JODE (Lennon,McCartney)
  (B) GAMBIA ZAMBIA-AFRICAN UNITY (O.Ndiaye)
      DON'T DO THAT TO ME (Touray,Jobe)
      TAGU NEIN LEIN (Cham,O.Ndiaye,D.Ndiaye)
      ALIEU GORI-MAMI (O.Ndiaye)
      FALSE LOVE (Touray,Valentine)
      GAIL GAIN CHI RABI (Trad.)

Super Eagles - Viva Super Eagles (Gambia, 1968)
(192 kbps, front cover included)

Gil Scott-Heron - Live at the Village Gate, New York 1976 (Bootleg)

The poet passed away. But his music will stay.

Enjoy this great show with some fantastic live tracks from Gil Scott-Heron playing the Village Gate in New York in 1976.

Tracks:
01. Intro Jam
02. 17th Street
03. Must Be Something We Can Do
04. It's Your World
05. Home Is Where The Hatred Is
06. Johannesburg

Gil Scott-Heron - Live At The Village Gate, New York (1976)
(320 kbps, front & back cover included)

Gil Scott-Heron is dead - Rest in peace!

Sad, sad news...

Gil Scott-Heron died yesterday in a New York hospital aged 62, after becoming sick on returning from a European trip.

His style melded jazz, blues political expression and spoken-word poetry on songs such as "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", which critiqued mass media in the 1970s.

His influence on generations of rappers and hip-hop artists has been demonstrated through sampling of his recordings by artists, including Kanye West.

Although Scott-Heron was often called the "Godfather of Rap", it was a title he rejected.

“It might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks’ which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion,” he wrote, in an introduction to a collection of poems, in 1990.

Instead, he referred to his work as “bluesology” or “black American music”.

Scott-Heron’s most recent album "I’m New Here", released last year, was widely acclaimed and brought him to the attention of a new generation. As news of his death was announced, modern artists including Chuck D of Public Enemy paid tributes.
Throughout his musical career, the poet and musician took on political issues of his time, including apartheid in South Africa, and nuclear arms. Before turning to music, he was a novelist, who published a murder mystery, called The Vulture, at the age of just 19.

Dock Boggs - Legendary Singer and Banjo Player (Folkways, 1964)

Dock Boggs was just one of the primeval hillbillies to record during the '20s, forgotten for decades until the folk revival of the '60s revived his career at the twilight of his life. Still, his dozen recordings from 1927 to 1929 are monuments of folk music, comprised of fatalistic hills ballads and blues like "Danville Girl," "Pretty Polly," and "Country Blues." Born near Norton, VA, in 1898, Boggs was the youngest of ten children. (He gained his nickname at an early age, since he was named after the doctor who delivered him.) Boggs began working in the mines at the age of 12. In what remained of his spare time, he began playing banjo, picking the instrument in the style of blues guitar instead of the widespread clawhammer technique.

Boggs began picking up songs from family members and the radio. He married in 1918 and began subcontracting on a mine until his wife's illness forced him to move back to her home. He worked in the dangerous moonshining business and made a little money playing social dances.

His big break finally came in 1927, when executives from the Brunswick label arrived in Norton to audition talent. He passed (beating out none other than A.P. Carter), and recorded eight sides in New York City for the label. Though they didn't quite flop, the records sold mostly around Boggs' hometown. He signed a booking agent, and recorded four more sides for W.E. Myer's local Lonesome Ace label. The coming of the Great Depression in late 1929 put a hold on Boggs' recording career, as countless labels dried up. He continued to perform around the region until the early '30s, however, when his wife forced him to give up his music and go back into the mines. Boggs worked until 1954, when mechanical innovations forced him out of a job.

Almost a decade later, in 1963, folklorist Mike Seeger located Boggs in Norton and convinced him to resume his career. Just weeks after their meeting, Boggs played the American Folk Festival in Asheville, NC. He began recording again, and released his first LP, "Legendary Singer & Banjo Player", later that year on Smithsonian/Folkways. Two more LPs followed during the '60s, although, like his original recordings, they too were out of print not long after his death in 1971.

The revival of interest in early folk music occasioned by a digital reissue of Harry Smith's "Anthology of American Folk Music" finally brought Boggs' music back to the shelves. In 1997, John Fahey's Revenant label released "Complete Early Recordings (1927-1929)", and one year later "His Folkways Years (1963-1968)" appeared.

Dock Boggs - Legendary Singer And Banjo Player (1964)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Dr. Alimantado - Born For A Purpose

Doctor Alimantado was born James Winston Thompson in Kingston 1952.
He grew up in the ghetto of the city's west side, an area notorious for its poverty and violence.

The fine but only sporadically productive Doctor Alimantado made two albums for the Greensleeves label in the mid-'70s. After completing the widely praised "Best Dressed Chicken in Town", he released "Born for a Purpose", which consists of second-string material from the same recording sessions and is consequently not quite as consistently excellent. Still, there are some great tracks here, notably the exquisite title song (presented in an extended 12" mix), an ode to Muhammed Ali that is strongly reminiscent of some of Glen Brown's work of the same period, and a paradoxically cheerful-sounding song of warning entitled "Careless Ethiopians Repent." Doctor Alimantado's clear, sweet voice is a constant delight throughout, and his skill as a DJ is almost matched by his singing ability. The backing rhythms are provided by a shifting cast that includes members of the Revolutionaries, Roots Radics, and the Aggrovators and, while no producer apart from Doctor Alimantado himself is given credit, at least a couple of mixes bear the strong stylistic mark of Bunny Lee.

Dr. Alimantado - Born For A Purpose

(256 kbps, front & back cover included) 

Johnny Cash - Live At Newport 1964

This is a soundboard recording by Johnny Cash at Newport Folk Festival, Newport, RI, July 25, 1964 in a very good sound quality. Enjoy it!

Tracklist:
1. Intro by Pete Seeger / Big River
2. Folsom Prison Blues
3. I Still Miss Someone
4. Rock Island Line
5. Don't Think Twice It's Alright
6. I Walk the Line
7. The Ballad of Ira Hayes
8. Keep on the Sunny Side

Johnny Cash - Live At Newport 1964
(320 kbps, front cover included)

Junior Wells and Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Blues Band - Newport Folk Festival, Rhode Island 1968

"Born in 1936 in Lettsworth, Louisiana, George "Buddy" Guy remains one of the world's most vital blues musicians and certainly one of the genre's most influential guitarists. Guy grew up on a diet of uniquely expressive blues stylists like Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker. Eventually relocating to Chicago, he would learn directly from the likes of Muddy Waters, Guitar Slim, and Otis Rush. Guy would develop his own distinctive high-energy style that was typified by extreme string bending and a tense, staccato attack. Guy himself would strongly influence an impressive list of next generation guitarists, with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan the most obvious examples.
Junior Wells family hailed from Memphis and he was raised in Arkansas. Born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., two years earlier than Buddy Guy, Wells initially emulated Sonny Boy Williamson and Memphis-based Junior Parker. Wells too would be drawn to Chicago, where at age 19, he was recruited into Muddy Waters' band, replacing Little Walter. An exciting vocalist, Wells is more often revered for developing the modern amplified style of harmonica playing, where he soon became second to none.

Both Guy and Wells became recording artists on their own as the 1950s waned. At the dawn of the 1960s they collaborated for the first time on Guy's recording of "Ten Years Ago." The two would continue recording on their own, as well as collaborating, which provided them a wealth of material when they performed together. The dynamic stage presence of these two powerhouse musicians was something special indeed, and this performance, recorded at the 1968 Newport Folk Festival, is an extraordinary testament to Guy and Wells' onstage power.

The recording begins with Festival director George Wein's introduction. The band, which includes the exemplary rhythm section of bassist Jack Myers and jazz drummer-turned bluesman Fred Below, and A.C. Reed as a one-man horn section, kick things off with a hot warm-up instrumental before sinking their teeth into Guy's "One Room Country Shack." Possibly the quintessential track from Guy's classic 1968 A Man And The Blues LP, this sets the stage for the controlled fury yet to come.

With A.C. Reed's sax serving as additional rhythmic punctuation, Guy and Wells next tear into "Checkin' On My Baby," another essential song in their catalogue. Wells belts it out and blows a mean harp while Guy's stratocaster cuts like a knife between every line. Next they slow it down for a smoldering read of "Somebody Hoodooed The Hoodoo Man" followed by Junior Wells' signature song, "Messin' With The Kid." On the latter, Guy's biting tone is particularly raunchy and it's an outstanding performance all around.

To bring the set to a close, Guy and Wells pull out all the stops during a nearly nine-minute exploration of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me." This is pure blues of the highest order, with Guy sounding like B.B. King on steroids and Wells and the band improvising up a storm. On this performance in particular, one can clearly hear how much this band influenced younger musicians, like Johnny Winter and the Butterfield Blues Band. This performance also sounds like a precursor to the incredible version on Van Morrison's "It's Too Late To Stop Now," recorded five years later but in remarkably similar form right down to the vocals. Wells' passionate vocals and the style of these musicians were obviously having a far-reaching impact. This number must certainly have been a highlight of the entire day and the Newport audience lets them know it. Despite George Wein desperately trying to keep the show moving, the audience is literally howling for more, causing Wein to finally relent and invite Guy, Wells & Co. back to the stage for a short (and Wein clarifies it has to be short!) encore.

Guy and Wells have other plans and treat the audience to a fantastic double encore beginning with "Stormy Monday," another tasty slow blues that starts off with a delicate touch but soon has Guy squeezing off a barrage of fiery riffs. He even manages to interject some spontaneous humor into one of his searing solos, by quoting the traditional folksong "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (it was a folk festival after all). Just when everyone was expecting the song to wind to a close, the band veers off into a funky take on James Brown's "I Got You," which must have had the already ecstatic audience up on their feet dancing.
Previously unheard and newly mixed direct off the 1/2" 4-track master reel, this sho
uld prove a rewarding listen for anyone even remotely interested in amplified blues. For those already well aware of the raw energy generated by Guy and Wells together in their prime, this recording is destined to become an important part of their legacy."

(from: http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/ - thanks a lot!)

Tracklist:

1. Intro

2. One Room Country Shack
3. Checkin' On My Baby
4. Somebody Hoodooed The Hoodoo Man Intro
5. Somebody Hoodooed The Hoodoo Man
6. Messin' With The Kid
7. You Gotta Help Me Intro
8. You Gotta Help Me
9. Crowd/Talk
10. Stormy Monday/I Feel Good

Buddy Guy - Guitar, Vocals
Junior Wells - Vocals, Harmonica
A.C. Reed - Sax
Jack Myers- Bass
Fred Below - Drums

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Blues Band - Newport Folk Festival 1968

(320 kbps, no cover art)

The Newport Folk Festival

The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival. The festival features performances by folk, blues, country, bluegrass and folk rock musicians, and since the 1990's has featured performers from related contemporary genres, such as alternative country, indie folk and folk punk.

The Newport Folk Festival was founded in 1959 by George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, backed by its original board: Theodore Bikel, Oscar Brand, Pete Seeger and Albert Grossman.

The Festival is renowned for introducing a number of performers who went on to become major stars, most notably Joan Baez (who appeared as an unannounced guest of Bob Gibson in 1959), and Bob Dylan, whose first Newport appearance, as a guest of Joan Baez in 1963, is generally regarded as his premiere national performance. Dylan and Baez also played together in 1964. Dylan became the artist most notably associated with the festival.

The festival draws on folk music in a wide and loosened sense. For instance, in the 1960s there were famous performances by Johnny Cash and Howlin' Wolf, artists usually described as representing country music and blues respectively. The festival was associated with the 1960s Blues Revival, where artists "lost" since the 1940s (e.g. Delta blues singers) were "rediscovered".

Concerts have been a rich source of recordings. Murray Lerner directed the 1967 film "Festival" based on the 1963-1965 festivals, now available on DVD.

We´ll present some of the Newport Folk Festival recordings in the next days.

Fulanito - Hombre Mas Famoso de la Tierra

You don´t know Fulanito? Doesn´t matter, just listen to the music: You will find yourself moving to the music and their hot beats. Even if you don't speak Spanish, you'll find their rhyming hot and catchy.

You don´t love merengue and dominican music? This is an even better combination. These guys combine rap, hip hop, merenge and house music to make a unique, danceable and high energy combination.

Fulanito's modern take on merengue's sound and style is original, catchy and naughty all at once. The lyrics are filled with innuendo and are delivered in catchy and sing-songy raps over the backbeat of a techno rhythm, mixed with Latin and Italian influences (the occasional accordeon riffs to remind us of the mafiaso image the band wants to maintain). They also integrate cumbia into their merengue sound on "Merencumbiaso" (Track 3). It is almost impossible to shake the highly catchy hooks that the tracks open with. It's like a team of Dominican guys decked out in mafia style suits with Panama Hats have spotted you on the dance floor, have grabbed your hands and summoned you to surrender to the beat of the merengue. Irresistable!

Fulanito - Hombre Mas Famoso de la Tierra (new link)
(mp3, 128 kbps, ca. 42 MB)

Wade In The Water Vol. IV - African American Community Gospel

This is the fourth part of a four-disc set, drawn from the musical examples to Bernice Johnson Reagon's outstanding National Public Radio series on African-American gospel music, deals respectively with the concert tradition in spiritual singing, the 19th-century roots of African-American congregational singing, the pioneering composers, and community gospel.

"Wade in the Water, Vol. 4: African American Community Gospel" focuses on the sacred music of two vastly different areas of the U.S. - Washington D.C. and rural Alabama - to illustrate the differences brought about by local perspective. The eight Alabama tracks run the gamut from newly arranged renditions of traditional favorites to popular hits to original compositions; all are in the quartet style, which remains the primary gospel vehicle throughout the state - group anniversary celebrations are even regularly held, with other quartets traveling from miles around to perform in their peers' honor. In D.C., the trend is toward performances connected with the worship services of the urban church community; again, however, the scope is vast, including traditional styles, processional praise songs and a contemporary reading of "Peace in the Valley."

Wade In The Water Vol IV - African American Community Gospel
(192 kbps)

VA - Poets In New York - Federico Garcia Lorca (1986)

Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads during the Spanish Civil War.

His collection "Poeta en Nueva York" ("A poet in New York", published posthumously in 1942) explores alienation and isolation through some graphically experimental poetic techniques and was influenced by the Wall Street crash whichhe personally witnessed. This condemnation of urban capitalist society and materialistic modernity was a sharp departure from his earlier work and label as a folklorist

This album was released due to the fifth anniversary of his execution. It gatheres artist from different countrys to honour the great artist.

Tracklist:

1 - Take This Waltz (Leonard Cohen)
2 - Negres Els (Lluís Llach)
3 - Grid to Roma (Angelo Branduardi)
4 - Birth of Christ (Victor Manuel)
5 - Your Childhood in Menton (David Broza)
6 - Asesinato (Paco de Lucia and Pepe)
7 - The Dawn (and Chico Fagner)
8 - Blacks Dancing to Cuban Rhythms (Georges Moustaki and Mikis Theodorakis)
9 - Unsleeping City (Donovan)
10 - Kleines Gedicht Unendlich (Manfred Maurenbrecher)
11 - Oda a Walt Whitman (Patxi Andión)

VA - Poets In New York - Frederico Garcia Lorca

Thanks a lot to Nikos for this album!