Montag, 29. Mai 2017

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 

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mittwoch, 24. Mai 2017

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
01Percy MayfieldPlease Send Me Someone To Love2:53
02Joe LigginsPink Champagne3:01
03Ruth BrownTeardrops From My Eyes2:53
04Ivory Joe HunterI Almost Lost My Mind3:11
05The Four BlazesMary Jo2:34
06The PlattersOnly You (And You Alone)2:38
07Little Esther & Mel WalkerCupid's Boogie2:34
08Peppermint HarrisI Got Loaded2:27
09Roy BrownHard Luck Blues3:00
10Joe MorrisAny Time, Any Place, Anywhere3:04
11Louis JordanBlue Light Boogie - Parts 1 & 25:09
12Johnny AcePledging My Love2:45

Part II - Blues & Rock
13The DominoesHave Mercy Baby2:22
14B.B. KingYou Upset Me Baby3:00
15Lowell FulsonBlue Shadows2:48
16Little WalterMy Babe2:39
17Hank BallardWork With Me Annie2:48
18The DriftersHoney Love2:24
19Eddie BoydFive Long Years2:40
20The "5" RoyalesBaby Don't Do It2:44
21Joe TurnerHoney Hush2:41
22Jimmy Nelson "T" 99 Blues3:06
23Willie MabonI Don't Know3:08
24Etta JamesThe Wallflower2:48


VA - Rhythm And Blues - No. 1 Chart Hits 1949-1955
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Dienstag, 23. Mai 2017

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:

1Happy MondaysW.F.L. (The Vince Clark Mix)6:10
2The Stone RosesElephant Stone4:47
3The CharlatansIndian Rope4:30
4Northside Shall We Take A Trip4:20
5Inspiral CarpetsJoe3:21
6New Fast Automatic DaffodilsBig6:04
7New OrderTrue Faith (Original 12" Mix)5:13
8Paris AngelsPerfume (Loved Up)4:10
9MC Tunes Versus 808 StateTunes Splits The Atom (Original Rap)3:09
10Happy MondaysStep On (Stuff It In Mix)5:45
11JamesCome Home (Extended Flood Mix)6:07
12The Mock TurtlesCan You Dig It?4:08
13The CharlatansThen4:10
14New OrderBizarre Love Triangle (Original 12" Mix)6:42
15808 StatePacific State (Origin)4:27
16The Stone RosesFools Gold4:15

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

Dienstag, 16. Mai 2017

Melanie - Born To Be (1968)

"Born to Be", Melanie Safka's 1968 debut, is an intriguing curate's egg. Neither Melanie, nor her producer-husband Peter Schekeryk, seem sure exactly where her strengths lie, so she is cast in a number of roles: Piaf-imitating chanteuse ("In the Hour"), soul-searching, angst-heavy troubadour ("Momma Momma"), giggling novelty figure ("Animal Crackers") and children's entertainer ("Christopher Robin Is Saying His Prayers").

Stranger still, half the time the experiment works; the small ensemble, led by her own enthusiastic (if thoroughly inexpert) guitar playing creates an arty, coffeehouse ambience in which Melanie's idiot-savant act flourishes. But the less said about her attack at "Merry Christmas" the better.    

"Born to Be" was  Melanie's debut album, released on Buddah Records in 1968.
Following Melanie's success at the Woodstock Festival in 1969 Buddha repackaged and reissued the album as "My First Album."

Tracklist:

A1In The Hour3:04
A2I'm Back In Town2:17
A3Bo Bo's Party3:58
A4Mr. Tambourine Man4:20
A5Momma Momma4:00
B1I Really Loved Harold4:05
B2Animal Crackers2:12
B3Cristopher Robin (Is Saying His Prayer)2:35
B4Close To It All3:22
B5Merry Christmas2:50

Melanie - Born To Be (1968)
(320 kbps, cover art included)