VA - Primer festival internacional de la canción popular (1973)

When the socialist politician Salvador Allende dramatically won Chile´s presidential election in 1970, a powerful cultural movement accompanied him to power. Folk singers emerged at the forefront, proving that music could help forge the birth of a new society. As the CIA actively funded opposition media against Allende during his campaign, the New Chilean Song Movement (Nueva Canción) rose to prominence, viscerally persuading voters with its music. Victor Jara, a central protagonist at the time, became an icon in Chile, Latin America, and beyond for his revolutionary lyrics and life. Inti-Illimani, Quilapayun, and other musicians contributed by singing before audiences of workers outside factories or campesinos in Chile´s rural countryside.

Primer festival internacional de la canción popular is a live album released on the DICAP label (Discoteca del Cantar Popular). It features artists from Chile (Isabel Parra, Tito Fernandez, Inti-Illimani, Quilapayun, Aparcoa, from Uruguay (Alfredo Zitarossa), from Argentina (Cesar Isella( and from Finland (Agit-Prop).


Tracklist:

A1	–Unknown Artist	Obertura
A2	–Aparcoa	Que Se Vayan Del Canal
A3	–Rolando Ojeda	Guantanamera
A4	–Marcelo	Dónde Está La Paz
A5	–Tito Fernández	Cuando Sea Grande
A6	–Alfredo Zitarrosa	Chamarrita De Los Milicos
B1	–Isabel Parra	En Esta Tierra Que Tanto Quiero
B2	–Inti-Illimani	Cueca De La CUT
B3	–Flora Margarita	A Un Ave
B4	–Agitprop	Paz, Amistad, Solidaridad
B5	–César Isella	Soneto 93
B6a	–Quilapayún	El Pueblo Unido Jamás Será Vencido
B6b	–Quilapayún	Las Ollitas

VA - Primer festival internacional de la canción popular (1973)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

VA - New Orleans Rhythm & Blues - Good Rockin' Tonight

Half a century after holding jazz over the baptismal font, New Orleans breathed new life into Black popular music when the time came for rhythm & blues. 

In the wake of the great pianists – from a city whose culture was decidedly rainbow-coloured (Professor Longhair, Archibald, Champion Jack Dupree) –, a new generation of singers appeared post-war and tackled a conjugation of swing and blues with incomparable verve. Along with Fats Domino, who was the figurehead of the new wave, a multitude of creators came to light: shouter Roy Brown, bandleaders Dave Bartholomew and Paul Gayten, crooner Larry Darnell, adolescent duo Shirley & Lee, not to mention Guitar Slim, a flamboyant guitarist capable of electrifying the crowds whose first recordings were made with Ray Charles.

Tracklist:  

1	Mardi Grass in New Orleans (1949)	Professor Longhair		2:55
2	Heavy Heart Blues	Champion Jack Dupree		2:37
3	Careless Love	Fats Domino		2:22
4	Crescent City Bounce	Archibald		2:33
5	Her Mind Is Gone	Professor Longhair		2:41
6	She Won't Leave No More	Little Joe Gaines		2:31
7	Growing Old	Smiley Lewis		2:26
8	Good Rockin' Tonight Trompete: Tony Moret (1947-07) drums: Robert 'Bob' Ogden (1947-07) Altsaxophon: O'Neil Jerome (1947-07) Posaune: Clement Tervalone (1947-07) vocals: Roy Brown (blues musician) recording of: Good Rockin’ Tonight (1947-07) Komponist(in): Roy Brown (blues musician) (1947-07) Texter: Roy Brown (blues musician) (1947-07) Herausgeber: Knox Music, Inc. und Trio Music Co., Inc. spätere Version: I Heard the News (Jesus Is Coming Again) spätere übersetzte Version: Et la voix d'Elvis	Roy Brown		3:00
9	Black Bitin' Woman	Chubby Newsome		2:12
10	Good Jax Boogie	Dave Bartholomew		2:47
11	Where You At?	Lloyd Price		2:22
12	Long About Midnight	Roy Brown		3:15
13	For You My Love	Larry Darnell		2:39
14	The Fat Man	Fats Domino		2:49
15	Country Boy recording of: Country Boy Komponist(in): Dave Bartholomew und Antoine Dominique Domino Texter: Dave Bartholomew und Antoine Dominique Domino	Dave Bartholomew		3:06
16	3 x 7 = 21	Jewel King		1:52
17	I'll Never Be Free	Paul Gayten		3:09
18	Stack-A'Lee	Archibald		4:30
19	Bald Head	Professor Longhair		2:34
20	Lawdy Miss Clawdy	Lloyd Price		2:35
21	I'm Gone	Shirley & Lee		2:24
22	The Things That I Used to Do	Guitar Slim		3:05

VA - New Orleans Rhythm & Blues - Good Rockin' Tonight
(192 kbps, cover art included)

VA - American Folk Blues Festival '65

From 1962 until 1971, the American Folk Blues Festival was responsible for bringing dozens of the most celebrated American blues artists to audiences from England to Poland. For many of the musicians, these were the largest audiences they'd ever played to, and the first (and often only) decent money they ever made.

This album is a collection of studio sessions, recorded in Hamburg October 7, 1965, on the occasion of  "The American Folk Blues '65" concert tour produced and presented by Lippmann and Rau-






Tracklist:

A1	–Fred McDowell	Highway 61
A2	–J.B. Lenoir	Slow Down
A3	–Big Walter "Shakey" Horton	Christine
A4	–Roosevelt Sykes	Come On Back Home
A5	–Eddie Boyd	Five Long Years
A6	–Eddie Boyd	The Big Question
B1	–Lonesome Jimmy Lee	Rosalie
B2	–John Lee Hooker	King Of The World
B3	–John Lee Hooker	Della May
B4	–Buddy Boy	First Time I Met The Blues
B5	–Big Mama Thornton	Hound Dog
B6	–Doctor Ross	My Black Name Is Ringing

VA - American Folk Blues Festival '65 
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Youssou N'Dour‎ - Set

Some of the most exciting sounds to come out of Africa in the late '80s and 1990s were produced by Senegal-born vocalist Youssou N'Dour. Although rooted in the traditional music of his homeland, N'Dour consistently sought new means of expression. In addition to recording as a soloist, N'Dour collaborated with a lengthy list of influential artists including Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel, Neneh Cherry, and Branford Marsalis.                

The title tune "Set" became the anthem of Senegalese youth in 1990. This is the first album N'Dour hasn't re-recorded for the international market. It's very African and his best recorded work to date.                

Tracklist:                                                     

1	Set (Clean)	2:45
2	Alboury	4:15
3	Sabar	2:32
4	Toxiques	3:28
5	Sinebar	4:45
6	Medina	3:22
7	Miyoko	3:42
8	Xale (Our Young People)	4:17
9	Fenene (Another Place)	5:17
10	Fakastalu (Watch Your Step)	3:52
11	Hey You!	3:38
12	One Day (Jaam)	3:26
13	Ay Chono La (Love Is)	3:12

Youssou N'Dour - Set                                   
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Sun Ra - St. Louis Blues (Solo Piano, Vol. 2) (1977)

On July 3, 1977, Sun Ra shared a bill with Paul Bley at Axis-In-Soho as part of the Newport in New York Festival, which was recorded by Bley’s "Improvising Artists" label. A portion of Sun Ra’s set was released on LP in 1978 as St. Louis Blues: Solo Piano, Volume 2. If Solo Piano, Volume 1 was an introspective studio album, Sun Ra is in an expansive, playful mood in front of a live audience. As Szwed points out in his biography, “Bley was surprised to see that once he was alone on stage, ‘Sonny was a ham who liked to clown and surprise the audience’” (Szwed p.343) and there is a bit of that to be found here.

This set finds the normally forbidding keyboardist digging not only into four fairly accessible originals, but "St. Louis Blues," "Three Little Words" and "Honeysuckle Rose." By this time, Ra was starting to reinvestigate his roots in Fletcher Henderson's music and in swing, but these occasionally traditional interpretations remain full of surprises. There is definitely a charm to Sun Ra's solo piano sets.

Tracks:
01 - Ohosnisixaeht (05:50)
02 - St. Louis Blues (05:00)
03 - Three Little Words (05:40)
04 - Honeysuckle Rose (03:20)
05 - Sky and Sun (06:05)
06 - I Am We Are I (06:15)
07 - Thoughts on Thoth (06:27)

Sun Ra - St. Louis Blues (Solo Piano, Vol. 2) (1977)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Lightnin´ Hopkins - Same (Smithsonian / Folkways 1959)

Originally released as "The Roots of Lightnin' Hopkins", Smithsonian/Folkways' "Lightnin' Hopkins" was recorded in 1959. Upon its initial release, it was a pivotal part of the blues revival and helped re-spark interest in Hopkins. Before it was recorded, the bluesman had disappeared from sight; after a great deal of searching, Sam Charters found Hopkins in a rented one-room apartment in Houston. 

Persuading Lightnin' with a bottle of gin, Charters convinced Hopkins to record ten songs in that room, using only one microphone. The resulting record was one of the greatest albums in Hopkins' catalog, a skeletal record that is absolutely naked in its loneliness and haunting in its despair. These unvarnished performances arguably capture the essence of Lightnin' Hopkins better than any of his other recordings, and it is certainly one of the landmarks of the late-'50s/early-'60s blues revival.                 

Tracklist:

01. Penitentiary Blues       

02. Bad Luck and Trouble       

03. Come Go Home With Me       

04. Trouble Stay 'Way from My Door    

05. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean      

06. Going Back to Florida      

07. Reminiscenses of Blind Lemon      

08. Fan It      

09. Tell Me, Baby      

10. She's Mine 

Lightnin´ Hopkins - Same (Smithsonian / Folkways 1959)

(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Rhythm And Blues - No. 1 Chart Hits 1949-1955

During the first half of the 1950’s, before the children of the white middle class began to question the musical tastes and listening habits of their parents, before the Haleys and the Presleys got a chance to upset established rules, Black artists were busy opening doors.

Nothing reflects this transitional moment better than the charts of the African-American community, where the seeds of this insurgency were planted. The best-sellers of that time, and more particularly the Number One rhythm & blues hits, clearly depict a movement that took the swing-infused rhythms of the immediate postwar era right up to the threshold of rock and soul.

Tracklist:

	Part I - Swing & Ballads
01	–Percy Mayfield	Please Send Me Someone To Love	2:53
02	–Joe Liggins	Pink Champagne	3:01
03	–Ruth Brown	Teardrops From My Eyes	2:53
04	–Ivory Joe Hunter	I Almost Lost My Mind	3:11
05	–The Four Blazes	Mary Jo	2:34
06	–The Platters	Only You (And You Alone)	2:38
07	–Little Esther & Mel Walker	Cupid's Boogie	2:34
08	–Peppermint Harris	I Got Loaded	2:27
09	–Roy Brown	Hard Luck Blues	3:00
10	–Joe Morris	Any Time, Any Place, Anywhere	3:04
11	–Louis Jordan	Blue Light Boogie - Parts 1 & 2	5:09
12	–Johnny Ace	Pledging My Love	2:45
		Part II - Blues & Rock
13	–The Dominoes	Have Mercy Baby	2:22
14	–B.B. King	You Upset Me Baby	3:00
15	–Lowell Fulson	Blue Shadows	2:48
16	–Little Walter	My Babe	2:39
17	–Hank Ballard	Work With Me Annie	2:48
18	–The Drifters	Honey Love	2:24
19	–Eddie Boyd	Five Long Years	2:40
20	–The "5" Royales	Baby Don't Do It	2:44
21	–Joe Turner	Honey Hush	2:41
22	–Jimmy Nelson	"T" 99 Blues	3:06
23	–Willie Mabon	I Don't Know	3:08
24	–Etta James	The Wallflower	2:48

VA - Rhythm And Blues - No. 1 Chart Hits 1949-1955

(192 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Madchester - The Manchester Story '88 - '91

Madchester is a music and cultural scene that developed in the Manchester area of the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, in which artists merged alternative rock with acid house culture and other sources, including psychedelia and 1960s pop. The label was popularised by the British music press in the early 1990s, and included groups such as Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses, the Inspiral Carpets, Northside, 808 State, James and The Charlatans, amongst others.
The rave-influenced scene is widely seen as heavily influenced by drugs, especially ecstasy (MDMA). At that time, the Haçienda nightclub, co-owned by members of New Order, was a major catalyst for the distinctive musical ethos in the city that was called the Second Summer of Love.

The Beechwood label's 16-track "Manchester Story '88-'91: Madchester" presents a pretty faithful re-telling of the Factory-led Brit-pop explosion that consumed college radio in the late '80s early '90s.

Usually relegated to late-night appearances on MTV's 120 Minutes, bands like New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Charlatans UK, 808 State, and New Order nevertheless found a way to break out internationally, influencing the myriad of shapes that alternative rock would assume in the coming years.

Though there are many holes in the story (where are Blur, Ride, Primal Scream or the Manic Street Preachers?) presented here, the inclusion of various remixes, original 12" versions, and extended mixes keeps things interesting, and the songs themselves are all top-notch, resulting in a formidable gateway drug for anybody looking to immerse themselves in genre.        
 

   

Fear won't prevail. We will continue to enjoy our love for life, freedom & joy.

Tracklist:

1	–Happy Mondays	W.F.L. (The Vince Clark Mix)	6:10
2	–The Stone Roses	Elephant Stone	4:47
3	–The Charlatans	Indian Rope	4:30
4	–Northside	Shall We Take A Trip	4:20
5	–Inspiral Carpets	Joe	3:21
6	–New Fast Automatic Daffodils	Big	6:04
7	–New Order	True Faith (Original 12" Mix)	5:13
8	–Paris Angels	Perfume (Loved Up)	4:10
9	–MC Tunes Versus 808 State	Tunes Splits The Atom (Original Rap)	3:09
10	–Happy Mondays	Step On (Stuff It In Mix)	5:45
11	–James	Come Home (Extended Flood Mix)	6:07
12	–The Mock Turtles	Can You Dig It?	4:08
13	–The Charlatans	Then	4:10
14	–New Order	Bizarre Love Triangle (Original 12" Mix)	6:42
15	–808 State	Pacific State (Origin)	4:27
16	–The Stone Roses	Fools Gold	4:15

VA - Madchester - The Manchester Story '88 - '91  
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson – Midnight Band - The First Minute Of A New Day (1975)

Producer, composer, and musician Brian Jackson collaborated with Gil Scott-Heron on several influential and popular '70s releases. The two met at Lincoln University, and later teamed on such songs as "The Bottle," "H20 Gate Blues," and "Johannesburg," which was their most successful commercial single.

This follow-up to the righteous and soulful "Winter In America" LP continues with the solid, decidedly left-of-center jazz-R&B that made him a cult figure throughout the '70s.

This output, with the opening meditation of "Offering" and the right-on "Ain't No Such Thing as Superman," solidifies Heron's place in the pantheon of jazz poets. Dig the recited (possibly improvised) live take of "Pardon Our Analysis," a follow-up to his seminal "H2O Blues."


Tracklist

Offering	3:34
The Liberation Song (Red, Black And Green)	6:18
Must Be Something	5:16
Ain't No Such Thing As Superman	4:13
Pardon Our Analysis (We Beg Your Pardon)	8:01
Guerilla	7:49
Winter In America	6:09
Western Sunrise	5:16
Alluswe	5:04

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The First Minute Of A New Day (1975)
(320 kbps, cover art included))

The Mamas And The Papas - Monterey International Pop Festival (1971)

With the lengthy title of "Historic Performances Recorded at the Monterey International Pop Festival", this 1971 release was recorded at the event held at Monterey, CA, between June 16-18 in 1967. Six of the eight tunes appear on the box set Rhino released of the mega concert, excluding "Somebody Groovy" and "Spanish Harlem." John Phillips' arranging and songwriting genius has never been properly recognized as the inspiring force that it was and continues to be, and though this Wally Heider remote recording (mixed in the studio by Erick Weinberg) is deficient, the performance by the original group at this important point in time is enthusiastic and worthwhile.

As this writer put it in the liner notes requested by Dinky Dawson for his production of the latter-day version of the band's "Sold Out: Live at the Savoy 3/12/82" on Rykodisc, "The highly influential group has not had the luxury of each and every live cassette and studio outtake traded the way Lou Reed, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones get studied, sought after, and talked about." At Monterey the band included many of the musicians from the "Deliver" album -- future Bread keyboard player Larry Knechtel was utilized along with Joe Osborne on bass and Dr. Eric Hord on guitar. Replacing Captain & Tennille drummer Hal Blaine was Chicago area percussionist Fast Eddie.

The disc is vocal-heavy, as it should be for a harmony quartet, and the bootleg quality actually adds a sort of charm. Dunhill/ABC was desperate for more Mamas & Papas product and the drive of the live version of "Got a Feeling" didn't deny the label something substantial to offer the fans. A band so slick in the studio is fun heard letting it all hang out at this monumental event, and the bottom line is that for fans this is a wonderful, if all too brief, glimpse of the four in performance at the height of their fame. It's 33 minutes and 29 seconds -- including on-stage chatter -- that becomes more valuable as time goes by. Listen to the band cook on "California Dreamin'" and John Phillips belt it out with Mama Cass countering his moves. As credible as any garage rock group churning out "Pushin' Too Hard" and hoping for stardom, these stars shine perhaps because the performance is somewhat ragged. Who wants a clone of the studio stuff anyway?       (allmusic.com)

Tracklist:

A1	Straight Shooter
A2	Got A Feelin'
A3	California Dreamin'
A4	Spanish Harlem
B1	Somebody Groovy
B2	I Call Your Name
B3	Monday, Monday
B4	Dancing In The Street

     
The Mamas And The Papas - Monterey International Pop Festival   
(320 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Memphis - Thats All Right! From Blues To Rock´n´Roll

If Memphis is remembered as the place where Elvis Presley ignited the rock’n’roll revolution in the mid-fifties, the city is forever linked to the rise of the musical idiom that shaped the future of western popular music, the blues.

From the colorful bards of the roaring twenties (Furry Lewis, the Memphis Jug Band, Memphis Minnie) and the one-man-band figures who performed for change on the sidewalks of Beale Street to the inventors of modern electric blues (Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Little Milton), the main purveyors of the blue note ruled over the nights of Memphis before this great cotton capital became a haven for soul music.

This 24 track compilation recognizes the importance of Memphis in the development of the blues, from the early 1920s to the inventors of modern electric blues and the roots of soul music.


VA - Memphis - Thats All Right! From Blues To Rock´n´Roll
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963

Together with 1963's "Avalon Blues" (as opposed to the similarly titled compendium of 1928 recordings), "Worried Blues" represents the best of Mississippi John Hurt's later work, following his rediscovery in the early 1960s.

As much a folk musician as a bluesman, Hurt included traditional and devotional music as well as blues in his oeuvre. His wide-ranging repertoire here is highlighted by "Farther Along" and "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep." Accompanied only by his guitar, Hurt is a compelling, engaging performer who eschews gimmickry. The ease with which he plays creates a peacefulness at the center of this music that's undeniably appealing. --Genevieve Williams

Tracklist:

1	Lazy Blues	3:20
2	Farther Along	3:51
3	Sliding Delta	5:09
4	Nobody Cares For Me	3:38
5	Cow Hooking Blues No. 2	3:46
6	Talkin' Casey	4:51
7	Weeping And Wailing	4:11
8	Worried Blues	4:43
9	Oh Mary Don't You Weep	3:26
10	I Been Cryin' Since You Been Gone	3:09

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Lee Perry Presents Megaton Dub Vol. 1

Certainly eccentric, Lee "Scratch" Perry is reggae's most influential producer, with a career that spans the entire history of the music.
He started at Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label, first as a talent scout, then as producer. Moving on to other labels, he recorded hit after hit for Jamaican artists, assembling the original Wailers and producing their earliest — some say best — tracks.

Perry has also done extensive solo work, composing, arranging and singing his own records. With the help of a studio band, the Upsetters (named for one of his aliases), Perry has forged a dub reggae style that's idiosyncratic and revolutionary — full of shifting, echoey rhythms and weird sound effects. His characteristic sound is unique — extended grooves layered like fog, with odd vocals and percussion shimmering in the dense mist.

This hard-to-find album collects 10 tracks of pure Scratch dub: Sometimes odd, sometimes wonderful and crucial.

Tracklist:
Dem No Know Dub
Conscious Man Dub
Such Is Dub
Corn Picker Dub
Rasta Dub
Freedom Dub
Megaton Dub
Dreamer Dub
School Girl Dub
Simon The Sorcerer

Lee Perry Presents Megaton Dub Vol. 1
(192 kbps)

James Booker - Junco Partner (1976)

This solo disc by arguably the most brilliant of New Orleans' resplendent pianists shows off all the edge and genius he possessed. There may be moments on other discs of slightly more inspired playing (and this is arguable), but for a whole disc this one stands far from the crowd. You can hear some of the most awe-inspiring playing here that reflects the extremely broad background that he could, and did, draw from.

You can hear his classical training and the brilliance of his interpretive skills in "Black Minute Waltz." He follows this with a version of Leadbelly's "Good Night Irene," which shows off his raucous bordello style of playing and voice. The disc goes on showing off the eclectic variety of influences that make up this man's music.

This disc also displays the man's prodigious composing and arranging talents. Though he was regarded as eccentric and crazy, even by New Orleans' accepting standards (he was a flamboyant, black substance abuser, and a homosexual, who spent time both in Angola State Prison and a mental institution), he was considered a musical genius and thus given a certain amount of leeway.

An absolute must if you like New Orleans music.      


Tracklist:

01. Black Minute Waltz
02. Good Night Irene
03. Pixie
04. On The Sunny Side of the Street
05. Make a Better World
06. Junco Partner
07. Put Out the Lights
08. Medley
09. Pop´s Dilemma
10. I´ll Be Seeing You

 
James Booker - Junco Partner (1976)     
(256 kbps, cover art included) 

VA - Original Jamaican Soundsystem Style - 21 R'n'B Scorchers

It'll take a while to explain this record to your friends, but what a concept. To be brief, Jamaican sound systems were once hungry for music (hard to imagine since rocksteady and reggae records would soon be issued as fast as newspapers), so the DJs turned to the world of American R&B.

"Original Jamaican Sound System Style" features many of the American tunes Jamaican DJs were spinning in the '50s, and it's evidence that they had excellent taste. The liner notes are fantastic, and you can't even pretend that every song on here isn't anything but jaunty and rollicking Friday night fish-fry fun. But don't forget that the sound systems overdrove these tracks through monolithic but cheap speakers; they mixed the tracks in with their own Jamaican R&B, and entranced audiences with shouts of babble. To hear it would be amazing but the ultraclean digital remasters here only hint at the experience. It's unfortunate that no one dug up a tape of the real deal, but this is evidence that someone should try.

Tracklist:
       1. Safronia B - Calvin Boze
2. Monkey Speaks His Mind - Dave Bartholomew
3. Live It Up - Ernie Freeman
4. Let's Make A Whole Lot Of Love - Dodgers
5. I'm Gone - Shirley & Lee
6. I'm In The Mood For Love - Fats Domino
7. Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris
8. Tears On My Pillow - Little Anthony & The Imperials
9. Strator-Cruiser - Joe Lutchers
10. Secretly - Jimmie Rodgers
11. Someone Like You - Faye Adams
12. It's Over - James 'SugarBoy' Crawford
13. The Vow - Gene & Eunice
14. If You Don't Want Me Baby - Ray Johnson
15. Blue Moon - Lynn Hope
16. One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer -Amos Milburn
17. Waiting & Drinking - Calvin Boze
18. One Night - Smiley Lewis
19. Be My Guest - Fats Domino
20. 3 x 7 = 21 - Jewel King
21. Return To Me - Ernie Freeman

VA - Original Jamaican Soundsystem Style - 21 R´n´B Scorchers
(192 kbps, cover art included)
                

Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)

The neo-psychedelic group Opal formed in the mid-'80s, featuring former Rain Parade guitarist David Roback and former Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith. Initially, the group was called Clay Allison, but the group dropped the name after one single; Roback, Smith, and drummer Keith Mitchell released the remaining Clay Allison tracks under their own name in 1984 on the "Fell From the Sun" EP. After its release, the group adopted the name Opal and released an EP, "Northern Line", in 1985.

"Happy Nightmare Baby", their first full-length album, followed in 1987. Smith left the group during the "Happy Nightmare" tour, effectively putting an end to the band. Roback continued with vocalist Hope Sandoval; the group then metamorphosed into Mazzy Star.

At once drowsy, psychedelic, entrancing, and possessed of a sinuous spark, "Happy Nightmare Baby" may have been Opal's only album but deserves more attention than merely being a blueprint for Roback's later work in Mazzy Star. For one thing, Opal was very much its own band, with Kendra Smith's particular lyrical visions of mystic power and universe-scaling dreams and nightmares its own entity. As is her singing, though she's got less of Hope Sandoval's wistful drift and more focused control - check out the brief "A Falling Star," where the comparatively stripped-down arrangement places her singing in the foreground, notably without much in the way of echo. Roback's playing certainly won't surprise anyone per se who backtracks to this group from albums like "She Hangs Brightly", and the atmosphere of textured, moody power is evident right from the start with the wonderful early T. Rex tribute, "Rocket Machine." The compressed string swirl and steady stomp is pure Marc Bolan-via-Tony Visconti, though Smith avoids Bolan's style of warble for her own cool, something also quite evident on the slow-groove stomp of the great "She's a Diamond" and the concluding "Soul Giver." Meanwhile, other familiar elements Roback would later use are present aplenty - very Ray Manzarek-like organ lines on the mantra-chugs of "Magick Power" and "Siamese Trap," compressed acid rock solos and lots of reverb. The title track itself stands out a bit as being a bit more of a '60s Europop confection in a stripped-down 1968 setting - Roback's electric guitar adds some fire, but it's the slightly jazz-tinged rhythm and easy delivery from Smith that helps establish its own character. It's a release that stood out both in time and place (a 1987 release on SST Records, of all places!), but it stands up to future years and listens darn well.

Tracklist:

A1	Rocket Machine
A2	Magick Power
A3	Relevation
A4	A Falling Star
A5	She's A Diamond
B1	Supernova
B2	Siamese Trap
B3	Happy Nightmare Baby
B4	Soul Giver

Opal - Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)
(192 kbps, cover art included)