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)

Alton Ellis & The Heptones - Mr. Ska Bean´a (1980)

One of the first vocalists to enter the Jamaican music business, Alton Ellis was generally revered as the greatest and most soulful singer the country ever produced — that is, until Bob Marley came along. Ellis had his first hit during the ska craze, but made his true lasting mark as the definitive solo singer of the rocksteady era. Sweet, smooth, and deeply emotive, Ellis was equally at home on Jamaican originals or reggae-fied covers of American R&B hits.

This collaboration with the Heptones was produced at Black Ark and Channel One and was released in 1980 on the Cha Cha label.

Tracklist:

A1	Humble Will Stumble
A2	Hard To Be A Lover
A3	Pure Sorrow
A4	Inside My Soul
A5	Loving You
B1	Mr Ska Beana
B2	Bless You
B3	Children Are Crying
B4	Woe Child

Alton Ellis & The Heptones - Mr. Ska Bean´a (1980)

(192 kbps, cover art included)