Montag, 31. Mai 2021

Mercedes Sosa - Escondido En Mi Pais (1996)

High quality music has been a rule for Mercedes Sosa all her life. Her repertoir is filled with songs with profound lyricism. This album is no exception. After exploring other rythms, Mercedes returns to her undeniably Argentinian roots. 

Purists of Argentina's folk music may have a little hard time to get used to some of her arrangements, like in "Ojos Azules." But, to me, this theme alone deserves paying every single cent for this album. If that wasn't enough, the album ends with one of León Gieco's most beautiful songs: "La Navidad de Luis".



Tracklist:

1 Viejas Promesas
2 Si Llega A Ser Tucumana
3 Para Cantar He Nacido
4 Escondido En Mi Pais (O Mi Pais Escondido)
5 Calle Angosta
6 Ojos Azules (Huayno Boliviano)
7 Zamba A Monteros
8 Sube, Sube, Sube
9 El Otro Pais
10 Canción De Amor Para Mi Patria
11 Un Pedazo De Mi Sangre
12 Ñare Bainolec
13 Regreso A La Tonada
14 Milonga Por El
15 La Navidad De Luis (Bonus Track)


Mercedes Sosa - Escondido En Mi Pais (1996)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Sonntag, 30. Mai 2021

Geraldo Vandré - Canto Geral (1968)

Geraldo Vandré was at the peak of his creative impetus and popularity when he was pressed by Brazilian dictatorship in 1968. Exiled, he returned silent. Criticizing mass culture, he retired from artistic manifestations, living alone in his apartment in São Paulo, while his works have been constantly re-recorded.

After some occasional appearances at the local radio station, he and his family moved to Rio in 1951. Under the pseudonym of Carlos José, he appeared in the most famous radio show of that time, the Programa César de Alencar. With the help of his mother, he recorded his first single (as an interpreter, not as a composer), which he put under his arm and offered to all radio stations and recording labels of Rio. It was when he met Valdemar Henrique, composer and folklorist, who worked at the Rádio Roquette Pinto, who opened for him the possibility of presentation in some shows. He also became acquainted with Ed Lincoln and Luís Eça, who were playing at the Plaza nightclub and let him sit in during the band's breaks. Enrolling in law school, he became an activist, joining the Popular Culture Center of the National Students Union (CPC da UNE), centers where civil society resisted culturally. There he met Carlos Lyra, whose social concerns led him to abandon bossa nova and find a new venue for expression. Together, they were the creators of the genre later known as "canção de protesto" (protest song). Vandré's first compositions were in partnership with Lyra: "Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor" (recorded by Lyra on an 78 rpm in April 1961, through RGE) and "Aluanda."

In 1962, the Philips LP "O Sambalanço de Carlos Lyra" brought "Quem Quiser Encontrar o Amor," and the song was also included in the movie "Cinco Vezes Favela", produced by the CPC. In the same year, he became acquainted with Baden Powell, Luís Roberto, and Vera Brasil, starting a series of presentations with them at the famous João Sebastião Bar in São Paulo. With singer Ana Lúcia, he recorded "Samba em Prelúdio" (Baden Powell/Vinícius de Moraes) with great success and which opened for him the bossa nova doors. His "Pequeno Concerto que Virou Canção" delved even deeper in the bossa waves, but he split with the movement, deciding to research his roots and produce music coherently with his origins. The first result was the toada "Canção Nordestina" (Northeastern Song). In those times, the bossa was presented in informal places and would only gain the formal acknowledgment of theaters a while after. So, he presented it at the Colégio Mackenzie during a bossa event and the song had an impact. He married Nilce Tranjan, who gave him strong support in his initial career, in 1964. His first LP, recorded still in that year (December, through Audio Fidelity) had "Fica Mal com Deus," but found no success. In the next year, he was commissioned by moviemaker Roberto Santos to write the soundtrack to Santos' A Hora e a Vez de Augusto Matraga. In that same year, he performed at the I FMPB interpreting Chico Buarque' "Sonho de um Carnaval," classified in sixth place; he also recorded his second LP, Hora de Lutar. In 1966, he recorded the LP Cinco Anos de Canção, which had a partnership with Baden Powell, "Rosa Flor." Also in that year, he won first place at the FNMP with the marcha-rancho (written with Fernando Lona) "Porta-Estandarte," interpreted by Tuca and Airto Moreira. The victory opened the way for a signed contract with the Rhodia company, through which he would be financed to tour the Northeast with the then Trio Novo (Theo de Barros, violão; Airto Moreira, percussion; and Heraldo do Monte, Brazilian viola), who, at the end of the tour, were joined by Hermeto Pascoal, becoming the Quarteto Novo. Still in 1966, Vandré won the II FMPB (TV Record, São Paulo) with "Disparada" (with Theo de Barros), interpreted by the Trio Novo, Jair Rodrigues, and Trio Maraiá, tied with "A Banda" (Chico Buarque). In the same year, he also won second place at the I FIC (TV Rio, Rio) with "O Cavaleiro" (written with Tuca, who defended it). He was then so popular that he was commissioned by São Paulo's TV Record to write and host his own show, Disparada. He also hosted his own other shows, Canto Geral (after, Canto Permitido) on TV Bandeirantes and Caminhando (TV Globo). His subsequent participation at two festivals were unsuccessful: "Ventania" at the III FMPB and "Da Serra, da Terra e do Mar" at the II FIC. At the same time, his composition "Arueira" and the frevo "João e Maria" (with Hilton Accioly) made great success.

Commissioned by the Dominican priests of São Paulo, he wrote the music for the sacred drama "A Paixão Segundo Cristino." In 1968, he recorded the album "Canto Geral" (Odeon). He inscribed "Bonita" (with Accioly) at the IV FMPB, with no success. At the III FIC, he protagonized one of the most emotional moments of MPB. Accompanied by the Quarteto Livre (Naná Vasconcelos, Franklin, Geraldo Azevedo, and Nelson Ângelo, all of them becoming famous artists), he defended his song "Caminhando -- Pra Não Dizer que não Falei das Flores." It was a favorite of the audiences, but the jurors elected for first place "Sabiá" (Chico Buarque/Tom Jobim). In a deeply passionate atmosphere, he told the public that it was only a festival and that there were more important things to worry about. He followed his interpretation of the song with the multitude singing in unison (the thrilling episode is registered on the 1996 compilation "Vandré"). The song became a sort of anthem of students and civil society, but was prohibited by censorship. Soon after the AI-5 (an act that granted dictatorial powers to the military government) was decreed, Vandré was exiled. He stayed out for four years, time spent in Chile (where he composed "Desacordonar," being expelled from the country under the pretext of having presented himself on national TV without proper documentation), France, Algeria, Germany (where he recorded shows for TV), Austria, Greece, and Bulgaria, always performing in upcountry villages.

Sergio Endrigo recorded his songs. In 1970, he recorded in France with the Quinteto Violado the LP Terras do Benvirá, released in Brazil only in 1973, and re-staged A Paixão Segundo Cristino. In 1973, he recorded TV shows for exhibition in Brazil, but they were censored. In July, he returned to Brazil and in 1982, he performed in Puerto Stroessner, Paraguay, close to the Brazilian border. In March 1995, he was present at a concerto promoted by the CONAR (Army command unit). On that occasion, a choir of cadets performed "Fabiana," a song Vandré had written as an homage to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), which confounded the Brazilian intelligentsia. Later, laconic interviews hadn't contributed to solve the mystery of such an astounding change of course, as his criticisms are directed only toward the cultural industry and he preferred to be silent about everything else. "This isn't the right moment to say what I know," in his own words. In 1997, the Quinteto Violado released the CD Quinteto Violado Canta Vandré (Atração), and Elba Ramalho, Geraldo Azevedo, and Zé Ramalho recorded "Disparada" and "Canção da Despedida" on their CD Grande Cncontro 2. His musical biography was released on the CD Vandré, in 1996 by RGE.


Tracklist:

A1 Terra Plana 3:45
A2 Companheira 3:04
A3 Maria Rita 3:28
A4 De Serra, De Terra E De Mar 4:15
A5 Cantiga Brava 4:01
B1 Ventania (De Como Um Homem Perdeu Seo Cavalo E Continuou Andando) 5:08
B2 O Plantador 3:24
B3 João E Maria 2:28
B4 Arueira 3:08
B5 Guerrilheira 3:12

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Samstag, 29. Mai 2021

Country Joe McDonald - Vietnam Experience (1986)

A thematic record revolving around 12 anti-Vietnam War songs recorded by McDonald through the years and accompanied by a fleet of musicians.

The blues figure in heavily: "Foreign Policy Blues" and "Mourning Blues" are standard-issue traditional form, but the latter is breathtaking in its emotional delivery. A re-recorded version of "I-Feel-Like-I'm Fixin'-To-Die Rag" takes a great song and makes it even better; "Kiss My Ass" is a bitter indictment disguised by a rollicking melody.

McDonald's myopic tack has not served him commercially, but his remembrance of the pain of war for those who served and those at home has been an estimable, artistic raison d'etre for three decades (though the 27-minute instrumental "Vietnam Requiem Part I" might be an argument for overkill).


Tracklist:


1 I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag
2 Foreign Policy Blues
3 Agent Orange Song
4 The Girl Next Door (Combat Nurse)
5 Kiss My Ass
6 Secret Agent
7 Vietnam Veteran Still Alive
8 Vietnam Never Again
9 Mourning Blues
10 Welcome Home
11 Vietnam Requiem Part I: The Beginning
12 Vietnam Requiem Part II: The End


Country Joe McDonald - Vietnam Experience (1986)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Dienstag, 25. Mai 2021

Linda Ronstadt – Hand Sown... Home Grown (1969)

When Linda Ronstadt recorded her solo debut "Hand Sown…Home Grown" in 1969, the Stone Poneys hadn't disbanded so much as dispersed, leaving Ronstadt holding a record contract. Fortunately, she was also the member with the clearest star potential, a powerhouse singer who also happened to be gorgeous. "Hand Sown…Home Grown" didn't make her a star -- it didn't chart and its one single, "The Long Way Around," went no further than 70 on the charts -- but it showcases her potential quite effectively. Working with producer Chip Douglas, who had previously helmed some Monkees records, Ronstadt crafts a Californian country-rock that recalls the Flying Burrito Brothers -- her version of John D. Loudermilk's "Break My Mind" isn't far removed from that of Parsons and company -- but it also has elements of L.A.'s folk-rock scene (on the front cover, she does look like she descended down the hill from Laurel Canyon). 

The songs stick a couple of classic country tunes -- "Silver Threads and Golden Needles," "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line" -- between a couple of Dylan covers, Wayne Raney's "We Need a Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock & Roll)," Fred Neil's "Dolphins," and Randy Newman's "Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad." Similarly, the sound is part California, part Nashville and it's best when it doesn't reach for authentic twang: "Silver Threads" has real propulsion, "Bet No One" has a lithe, slinky sexiness, and "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock & Roll)" strikes precisely the right blend of the two. "Hand Sown…Home Grown" might not quite hit the mark -- it not only has one foot in L.A. and one in Nashville, Ronstadt still has the folk affectations of the Stone Poneys -- but it's often entertaining to hear he stretch out and find her own voice, and its best moments point the way toward her future.


Tracklist:

Hand Sown:
1. "Baby, You've Been on My Mind" (original title: "Mama, You Been On My Mind") Bob Dylan 2:31
2. "Silver Threads and Golden Needles" Dick Reynolds, Jack Rhodes 2:19
3. "Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad" Randy Newman 2:41
4. "A Number and a Name" Tom Campbell, Steve Gillette 3:03
5. "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line" Ivy J. Bryant 2:28
6. "The Long Way Around" Ken Edwards 2:17

Home Grown:
1. "Break My Mind" John D. Loudermilk 2:52
2. "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" Bob Dylan 3:43
3. "It's About Time" Chip Douglas 3:05
4. "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (And a Lot Less Rock & Roll)" Wayne Raney 2:30
5. "The Dolphins" Fred Neil 4:21



Linda Ronstadt – Hand Sown... Home Grown (1969)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Montag, 24. Mai 2021

VA - Where Have All The Flowers Gone - The Songs Of Pete Seeger (Wundertüte, 1998)

After listening to this multi-artist two-CD celebration of Pete Seeger's songs, you'll be delighted to read in the liner notes that it's "just the beginning of at least four volumes." Producer Jim Musselman calls the package a "labor of love," and that's clearly what it was. Musselman did a terrific job of choosing the songs from Seeger's vast repertoire, and of matching each tune with an artist "based on either the philosophical fit between the artist and the message of the song and/or their unique musical style." Even the extensive liner notes - which include info on each performer, plus comments on every song by Seeger and the performer - testify to the effort that went into the project. The result is one of the most consistently successful tribute albums on the market.

The material is wonderful; whether you think of Seeger primarily as an interpreter or a crusader for social justice, you'll be impressed by this reminder of just how many classic tunes he has written or cowritten and how many topics he's covered - everything from the Byrds-popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn" (Bruce Cockburn) to the lullaby "One Grain of Sand" (Odetta) to "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" (Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt).

The performers, who range in age from five to 85, are a motley crew; and while they include more than a few obscure artists who apparently made the grade because they happen to be signed to Appleseed or its affiliated labels, the collection also features lots of big names. More importantly, nearly all of the 39 recordings are first-rate. Among the many highlights: Bruce Springsteen's gentle reading of "We Shall Overcome"; Greg Brown's "Sailing Down My Golden River"; Roger McGuinn's "Bells of Rhymney" (a song he first recorded with the Byrds); and Ani DiFranco's "My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage."

Perhaps most touching, though, is the concluding number, Pete Seeger's own recording of his newly written "And Still I Am Searching." Sadly, the track does back up Seeger's statement in the liner notes that "I hardly have any voice left." But it also evidences the spirit that gave birth to all these songs. That spirit was still very much alive in the septuagenarian Seeger when this album was released, and thanks to his music, it will be around long after he's gone.

Tracklist:

Disc One:
Tommy Sands – Where Have All the Flowers Gone
Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt – Kisses Sweeter Than Wine
John Gorka – The Water is Wide
Richie Havens – Of Time and Rivers Flowing
Ani Difranco – My Name is Lisa Kalvelage
Bruce Cockburn – Turn, Turn, Turn
Tish Hinojosa – Festival of Flowers
Sweet Honey In The Rock – Step by Step
Studs Terkel – Blessed Be the Nation
Billy Bragg & Eliza Carthy – My Father’s Mansions
Greg Brown – Sailing Down My Golden River
Tony Trischka Band – Goofing Off Suite
Kim and Reggie Harris & Magpie – These Three Are On My Mind
Cordelia’s Dad – How Can I Keep From Singing?
Peter, Paul & Mary – All Mixed Up
Ronnie Gilbert w/ Robin Flower & Libby Mclaren – Empty Pocket Blues
Tom Paxton – Get Up And Go
John Stewart – Old Riley
Nanci Griffith & Friends – If I Had a Hammer
The Weavers – Wimoweh

Disc Two:
Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome
Roger McGuinn – Bells of Rhymney
Judy Collins – Oh Had I A Golden Thread
Guy Davis – False from True
Indigo Girls – Letter to Eve
Dick Gaughan – Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Tim Robbins – All My Children of the Sun
Martin Simpson – Living in the Country
Odetta – One Grain of Sand
Casey Neill – Old Father Hudson
John Trudell – The Torn Flag
Si Kahn w/ The Freighthoppers – Doublin’
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer – To Everyone in the World
Reinhard Mey - Que Sont Devenues Les Fleurs
Anne Hills – I Come and Stand at Every Door
Donovan – My Rainbow Race
Holly Near – Quiet Early Morning
Studs Terkel – Oh, Sacred World
Pete Seeger – And I Am Still Searching


VA - Where Have All The Flowers Gone - The Songs Of Pete Seeger (Wundertüte, 1998)
(320 kbps, cover art include)

Sonntag, 23. Mai 2021

Karen Dalton‎ - It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best (1969)

Karen Dalton was one of the ultimate free spirits. Arriving in New York from her native Oklahoma in 1960, she immediately became a part of the rising folk scene there, a hippie before they had a name, someone who lived life completely on her own terms. She was also, as this records shows, a superbly talented singer, eerily reminiscent of Billie Holliday. The only problem was that she disliked performing, and, in fact, had to be coaxed to make this album in the late '60s. Fortunately, the recording went very smoothly, with most of the vocals being first takes. Dalton (who died in the early '90s) had a natural feel for the blues. She could take songs by her contemporaries, even old folk songs, and find the blues inherent in them. It remains a mystery, really, why a record this good was lost among the releases of the time; its power might have been simple, but it was undeniable. Dalton did record again, making one other album. Now that we have the joy of It's So Hard to Tell, perhaps someone will see fit to issue that, too, and make our legacy complete. It's just a shame we've come to them so late. This is the real folk blues. - Chris Nickson

Some find Karen Dalton's voice difficult to listen to, and despite the Billie Holiday comparisons, it is rougher going than Lady Day. But Dalton's vocals aren't that hard to take, and they are expressive; like Buffy Sainte-Marie, it just does take some getting used to because of their unconventional timbre.

Her debut album has a muted folk-rock feel reminiscent of Fred Neil's arrangements in the mid-'60s, unsurprising since Neil's Capitol-era producer, Nick Venet, produced this disc too, and since Dalton, a friend of Neil, covered a couple of Neil songs here ("Little Bit of Rain," "Blues on the Ceiling").

Although clocking in at a mere ten songs, it covers a lot of ground, from Tim Hardin, Jelly Roll Morton, and Leadbelly to the traditional folk song "Ribbon Bow" and the Eddie Floyd/Booker T. Jones-penned soul tune "I Love You More Than Words Can Say." The record is interesting and well done, but would have been far more significant if it had come out five years or so earlier. By 1969 such singers were expected to write much of their own material (Dalton wrote none), and to embrace rock instrumentation less tentatively. 

Tracklist:
A1Little Bit Of Rain
A2Sweet Substitute
A3Ribbon Bow
A4I Love You More Than Words Can Say
A5In The Evening
B1Blues On The Ceiling
B2It Hurts Me Too
B3How Did The Feeling Feel To You
B4Right, Wrong Or Ready
B5Down On The Street

Karen Dalton‎ - It's So Hard To Tell Who's Going To Love You The Best (1969)
(320 kbps, cover art included)        

Samstag, 22. Mai 2021

João Bosco - João Bosco (1973)

Since no others leap to mind, you'd have to say that João Bosco is the greatest civil engineer-turned-singer/songwriter in the history of Brazilian popular music. He graduated with his degree in 1972 but since then has been concentrating on becoming one of Brazil's most formidable songwriters. For most of his early career, he supplied Elis Regina with some of her best material; it could be said that each one made the other's career, but since her death, Bosco has stepped into the performance limelight with a great degree of authority and has been one of the more compelling figures in Brazilian music for decades.

Born in Ponte Nova in 1946, Bosco cut his musical teeth in a family in which music was as important as eating and sleeping. His mother was an accomplished violinist, his father a singer of samba, his sister a concert pianist, and his brother a composer. While attending Ouro Preto University he became steeped in American jazz (Miles Davis in particular) and the bossa nova sound of João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim, it was also at university that he met lyricist Vinicius de Moraes, who contributed his elegant, poetic lyrics to Bosco's music. It was not long after that record companies began offering Bosco and de Moraes their services. Later in the '70s, Bosco became musically involved with Aldir Blanc, a psychiatrist who'd decided to give up his practice to become a lyricist. Witty, surreal, at times pretentious, but more often than not extremely clever, Blanc became the perfect foil for Bosco and the two would work together, quite successfully, until the mid-'80s.


Tracklist:

Tristeza De Uma Embolada 3:05
Nada A Desculpar 3:07
Boi 1:30
Angra 2:58
Quilombo 3:03
Bala Com Bala 2:23
Bernardo, O Eremita 3:25
Quem Será? 2:29
Fatalidade (Balconista Teve Morte Instantânea) 3:27
Alferes 4:12
Amon Rá E O Cavalo De Tróia 2:34

(ca. 256 kbps, cover art included)

Freitag, 21. Mai 2021

Lydie Auvray - D'Accord (1987)

“Even if there were a hundred accordion-players playing together, you would still be able to hear Lydie Auvray standing out. Her sound has verve and mellowness; her intelligent and impulsive playing can make one easily forget that this instrument, even in the Musette variant, has its limits. In Lydie's play those limits seem far away. ” Thommie Bayer

Lydie Auvray (born 1956 in Langrune-sur-Mer in Département Calvados in Normandy) is a French accordionist, composer and singer. She lives in Cologne.

After finishing school in 1974 she moved to Germany to improve her language skills. She first appeared on stage in Berlin in 1976 and played with folk-singer Jürgen Slopianka. The following year she began touring as an accompanist for various singers in West Germany, including Thommie Bayer and Klaus Hoffmann. With Hoffman she recorded a live double-album, "Ein Konzert". From 1980 she began playing and touring with German folk-singer Hannes Wader. In 1982 she founded her own backing group, the Auvrettes.

She recorded several albums in the early 1980s. Her 1987 album, "D'accord", was produced by her friend Stefan Stoppok. She then made several trips to Martinique, which influenced her work.

In 2003 she published her autobiography, "Jubiläum".

Tracklist:
A1 Rive Gauche 2:25
A2 Miremi 3:32
A3 Boulevard 4:15
A4 Cre Au Lait 2:42
A5 Sad Lisa 3:42
B1 Rumba Pa Ti 3:50
B2 Riva Bella 4:29
B3 Freetime 3:36
B4 Parchis 2:28
B5 Maigret's Letzter Fall 4:50

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Maria Farantouri - Wenn die Kraniche ziehen - Live in Düsseldorf

A well-known Greek vocalist and political activist, Maria Farantouri is considered one of the foremost interpreters of Greek music, especially the work of composer Mikis Theodorakis. A contralto singer with a deep, resonant voice, Farantouri is sometimes referred to as the Joan Baez of Greece, and over the years has moved from traditional and folk styles to more jazz, classical, and avant-garde works. Born in Athens in 1947, Farantouri first began singing in her youth as a member of the progressive choir of the Society of Greek Music, which worked to support new music based on Greek traditions. By her teens she caught the ear of Theodorakis, who invited her to join his ensemble. This led to a time of great creative and social awakening for Farantouri, who along with Theodorakis' culturally and politically left-leaning work, helped popularize the writing of many important Greek poets.               

From 1967 to 1974, Farantouri was forced into exile after a right-wing military junta staged a coup in Greece. During this time, she and Theodorakis made several protest recordings in Europe and expanded their work to included the writing of Bertolt Brecht and Spanish composer Carlos Puebla, as well as many Greek composers including Eleni Karaindrou and Mikalis Bourboulis. Also during this period she released the anti-fascist recording "Mauthausen Cycle," a work by Theodorakis featuring the writing of poet Iakovos Kambanellis. Often referred to as a hymn to human rights, the cycle would become one of Farantouri's signature recordings. After returning to Greece in 1974, Farantouri resumed her successful recording career and began to expand her sound in a variety of directions, including jazz.

Never wavering from her political views, she was elected to the Greek Parliament and served from 1989 to 1993, representing the Panhellenic Socialist Movement. She continued to record from the mid-'90s onward and released a cornucopia of albums in various styles, even including a collection of George Gershwin standards in 2007. While she most often performs works by Greek writers and composers, Farantouri continues to expand herself creatively and can interpret nearly any style of music in her own unique way. In 2011, she appeared on the live album "Athens Concert" with jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and his quartet.

This album is a live recording from a concert in Düsseldorf/Germany in the year 1978. It was released in 1979 on the Pläne label and re-issued in 1996 on CD.

Tracklist:

A1Είμαστε Δυο / Wir Sind Zwei
A2Σε Δρόμους Μακρυνούς - Μια Μέρα Θα Στο Πω / Auf Langen Straßen - Eines Tages Werde Ich Dir's Sagen
A3Ο Γέρο Νέγρο Τζιμ / Der Alte Neger Jim
A4Το Γελαστό Παιδί / Der Lächelnde Junge
A5Όταν Σφίγγουν Το Χέρι / Wenn Sie Die Fäuste Ballen
A6O Klama I Jineka U Emigrantu / Das Klagelied Der Frau Des Arbeitsemigranten
B1Vegetaciones / Vegetationen
B2Bella Ciao / Bella Ciao
B3Οι Γερανοί / Wenn Die Kraniche Ziehen
B4Όταν Τελειώσει Ο Πόλεμος - Άσμα Ασμάτων / Wenn Der Krieg Zu Ende Ist - Das Hohelied Der Liebe
B5Solidaritätslied


Maria Farantouri - Wenn die Kraniche ziehen - Live in Düsseldorf
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Them Mushrooms - Kazi Ni Kazi (Tribute To Bob Marley)

"Them Mushrooms" is by now an institution in Kenyan popular music.

The band started already in 1972, at that time with Osibisa and Black Blood as musical models. The founders were the Harrison brothers: Teddy Kalanda, John "Bishop" Katana, George Ziro and Billy Zarro. They have kept the band going ever since. First 12 years in the tourist hotels in Mombasa and then in Nairobi. As many other bands in East Africa they didn't own any instruments. They were dependent on hotel owners to provide instruments, a situation that very much restricts the freedom of bands in Africa.
In 1976, however, Them Mushroom had managed to save enough money to buy their own set of instruments and become independent.

In 1981 Them Mushrooms issued their first album with CBS Kenya Records, named "Mama Afrika" after the title song, which was the first local reggae song recorded in East Africa. Their inspiration was Bob Marley. The album didn't sell very well. The general local audience was not ready for reggae at that time. The following years Mushrooms played mainly benga music from Western Kenya and chakacha from the coast and other local popular styles, but kept reggae as their secret love. In 1985 they introduced the style "reggae on benga", a fusion of reggae and benga which was a success. This beat has since been copied all over East and Central Africa. It is similar to soca from Trinidad or souk from the French Antilles.

In 1987 Them Mushrooms moved their headquarters to Nairobi playing at the Carnivore Restaurant. They also started to tour abroad and opened up their own recording studio "The Mushroom's Sound Lab" with John "Bishop" Katana Harrison (with dreadlocks on the photo above) as sound engineer and producer. This studio has been responsibel for a number of very successful releases with Them Mushrooms and other bands.

Like many other African musicians Them Mushrooms have been exploited. Teddy Kalanda Harrisons song Jambo Bwana has been an international hit recorded by Boney M and others, but Teddy never recieved any copyright money. Them Mushrooms have managed to learn their lesson and have gradually created their own production resources and record label. They are now in a position to indepentently direct their own activities. They are a postitive role model for other bands.

Today the lineup of Them Mushrooms is:
Henry Ndenge Saha drums and vocals, Freddy Awalla Onyango guitar and vocals, Dickson Owour Onyango trumpet and vocals, John Katana Harrison keyboards and vocals, Billy Sarro Harrison bass guitar and vocals, Teddy Kalanda Harrison tenor sax and vocals.

Them Mushrooms - Kazi Ni Kazi (Tribute To Bo Marley)
(192 kbps, ca. 102 MB, front cover included)

Donnerstag, 20. Mai 2021

Haile Selassie I feat. Bob Marley & the Wailers - War (vinyl rip)


In 1976, Bob Marley turned Haile Selassie the First's legendary 1963 U.N. peace speech into his famous song "War". Re-recorded with surviving members of Marley´s extraordinary band, the Wailers, this new version of the Bob Marley classic features H.I.M. Haile Selassie's original speech, as if he was posthumously "singing" this Bob Marley classic.
Bob Marley´s voice was also added on several mixes of this cultural one-rhythm album. A Rastafarian anthem in many sound systems and an underground hit in Jamaica and the UK. Other remarkable versions of this modern reggae classic are included here.

"That until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil."

Hailie Selassie I feat. Bob Marley & The Wailers - War (vinyl rip)
(160 kbps, front cover inlcuded)

Maria Farantouri - Live im Olympia

Maria Farantouri (sometimes spelt Maria Farandouri) (Greek: Μαρία Φαραντούρη), (born 28 November 1947 in Athens), is a Greek singer and also a political and cultural activist. She has collaborated with prominent Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the score for Pablo Neruda's Canto General, which Farantouri performed.

During the Greek military junta (1967–1974) Maria Farantouri recorded protest songs in Europe with Mikis Theodorakis. In 1971, she recorded "Songs and Guitar Pieces by Theodorakis" with Australian guitarist John Williams which included seven poems by Federico García Lorca. She has recorded songs in Spanish ('Hasta Siempre Comandante Che Guevara'), Italian, and English ("Joe Hill" and Elisabeth Hauptmann's Alabama Song from Bertolt Brecht's Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny), as well as works by Greek composers Manos Hatzidakis, Eleni Karaindrou and Mikalis Bourboulis ('San Elektra' and 'Tora Xero') in which she realized a special fusion of vocal and instrumental beauty with musical accompaniment by Vangelis.
She also sang the notable 'Mauthausen Cycle'.

Her voice is deep contralto with about an octave and a half range.

Maria Farantouri was an elected member of the Greek Parliament from 1989-1993 representing the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK).
She is married to the PASOK politician Tilemachos Chitiris.

This album features a live performance at the Olympia in Paris, 19 November 1984 - Maria at her best performing works by the two most famous Greek composers/conductors namely Manos
Chatzidakis & Mikis Theodorakis.

Tracklist:
                                                    
Manos Chatzidakis
1.Persephones Alptraum3:40
2.Die Kinder unten auf dem Felde3:27
3.Über Helena2:39
4.Die nächtlichen Statuen2:17
5.Kountou Louna Vini3:12
6.Kemal4:11
7.Ballade der Sinne3:07
8.Die Mandoline2:58
9.Der Stern des Nordens3:22
10.Pornographie2:46

Mikis Theodorakis
11.Die Straße entlang3:57
12.Rote Rose4:13
13.Es waren einmal zwei Freunde2:53
14.Auf fernen Straßen2:08
15.Eines Tages werd' ich's Dir erzählen2:22
16.Alte Straßen4:41
17.Meine Liebste, Mmine Liebste3:59
18.Antonito El Camporio3:16
19.Vegetationen6:09
20.Wohin ist mein Junge geflogen?3:27
21.Sonnenaufgang3:20

Maria Farantouri - Live im Olympia
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Paul Robeson - On My Journey - Paul Robeson´s Independent Recordings (2007)

A 20th century renaissance man, Paul Robeson was an actor, singer, writer, scholar, activist, and intellectual with a degree from the Columbia University law school. He also suffered no fools, and his outspoken views on racism and McCarthyism eventually led to his blacklisting in the 1950s, a situation Robeson met with characteristic dignity and resilience.

When no label would record him, he started his own imprint, Othello Records, and recorded some 100 tracks and released three LPs ("Robeson Sings", "Solid Rock", and "Let Freedom Ring") between 1954 and 1958, generally to spare piano accompaniment by either Lawrence Brown or Alan Booth. Eventually Monitor Records picked up some of these tracks for a pair of LPs in 1958, "Favorite Songs" and "Encore Robeson", which became the first dents in Robeson's situation on the blacklist, which was smashed entirely when Vanguard Records picked him up a year later.

Throughout this period, Robeson found himself being harassed by the U.S. government in myriad ways, but he responded with diligence, determination, and the kind of personal grace that Senator McCarthy could only dream about.

Now these independent recordings, most of them produced by Robeson's son Paul Robeson, Jr. and many recorded in friends' apartments, are fittingly a part of the Smithsonian/Folkways catalog, and a generous sampling of them is included here. Robeson's deep voice and theatrical singing style sound quaint at first, but as he tackles these traditional spirituals and folk songs, most of which concern themselves with faith, hope, and freedom, the full range of this man's vision becomes clear: one love, one world, as Bob Marley would put it over a decade later. Among the highlights here are versions of Dvorák's "Songs My Mother Taught Me," the powerful and majestic "Takin' Names," a probably definitive "Joe Hill," and a resonant take on "No More Auction Block for Me," a song that became the melodic template for "We Shall Overcome," and speeded up, for Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind," plus a wonderful version of "Hammer Song" done with the harmonica-and-guitar team of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. Robeson's performing style and approach clearly belong to the early 20th century, but his convictions, vision, and unerring and diligent activism place him intellectually at the close of it. Robeson blazed the path that Harry Belafonte, Joan Baez, and many others would follow in the 1960s, and truthfully, provides a road map for 21st century agitators like Rage Against the Machine. A true American treasure and icon, Paul Robeson's work belongs at Smithsonian/Folkways, which will always keep it available and in print.

(224 kbps, cover art included)

Please support the non profit record label of the Smithsonian Institution,
check out http://www.folkways.si.edu/.

Bob Marley & The Wailers - The Rarities, Volume 1 (Jamaican Gold)

Ah, the Lee Perry years, the most overly compiled era of the Wailers' career. Surely, even the most dedicated fans must by now yelp in dismay when yet another in the deluge of sets drawn exclusively from this era hits the racks.

"The Rarities, Vol. 1" attempts to ignite waning enthusiasm for this period
by rounding up not the hits, but the outtakes, versions, and hard to find singles from this period. Fed up with the multiple recurrences of "Small Axe"? Check out the notably different arrangement on "More Axe" and the instrumental take "Axe Man" for a change. Or for something completely different there's "Shocks of Mighty" and its version, released only in the U.K. on a blank-label 12" single. Of course, you still get "Duppy Conqueror" for the umpteenth time, but how often do you see "I Like It Like This" or two versions (neither the 45 take) of "Picture on the Wall"? Then again, there was a reason some of these tracks were left as outtakes, consigned to B-sides, or failed to hit. Still, Upsetter fans will lap them up regardless, for even if the Wailers don't always shine here, Perry's productions continue to intrigue and amaze.


Tracklist:


1 Shocks Of Mighty 3:34
2 Shocks Of Mighty - Version 3:27
3 All In One 2:24
4 One In All 2:06
5 Copasetic 3:11
6 More Axe 3:32
7 Axe Man 2:48
8 Duppy Conqueror 3:22
9 Zig Zag 3:03
10 Run For Cover 3:16
11 Picture On The Wall - Version 3 3:02
12 Picture On The Wall - Version 4 2:59
13 Man To Man 3:36
14 Nicoteen 2:41
15 Rock My Boat 2:53
16 Like It Like This 2:56

Bob Marley & The Wailers - The Rarities, Volume 1 (Jamaican Gold)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Mittwoch, 19. Mai 2021

Bob Marley And The Wailers ‎– Nice Time - (Plus Dub Versions)

"Nice Time" is a french release, published back in 1991/1992, including Bob Marley & The Wailers songs from various producers. Nearly the same tracks in a different run were released on the definitly wrong labeld "All The Hits" album.
Just when you think you've seen it all, and you're positive that there's no way left to recycle the same old batch of Bob Marley & the Wailers' early reggae records, suddenly a compilation appears that makes you sit up and take notice. What sets this set apart, then, is that every vocal cut is twinned with its B-side instrumental version (labeled as "dubbs," not to be confused with "alternate" vocal takes that have also been making appearances on a wide number of compilations). If you bought the 45s when they were initially released, this is precisely what you would have gotten. In some cases, the backing instrumental track is more interesting that the A-side, a reflection that not all these songs showcase the Wailers at their best. Most importantly, it provides a snapshot of the early reggae era, a time when new rhythms and productions had come to the fore, and fans were as keen to hear the backing (preferably with a DJ mashing it up on top) as the singers themselves. This collection is still a refreshingly new take on an otherwise pretty tired set of songs.                

Tracklist

Redder Than Red3:09
I've Got To Cry3:25
Power And More Power2:39
Hypocrites2:40
Thank You Lord3:42
Mr Chatterbox2:23
Hey Happy People3:25
Nice Time2:29
I've Got The Action3:04
Mellow Mood3:28
Redder Than Red (Dub Version)2:46
I've Got To Cry (Dub Version)3:11
Power And More Power (Dub Version)2:36
Hypocrites (Dub Version)2:39
Thank You Lord (Dub Version)3:40
Mr Chatterbox (Dub Version)3:02
Hey Happy People (Dub Version)3:18
Nice Time (Dub Version)2:36
I've Got The Action (Dub Version)3:02
Mellow Mood (Dub Version)3:27


Bob Marley And The Wailers ‎– Nice Time - (Plus Dub Versions)
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Maria Farantouri - 17 Songs (1990)

A well-known Greek vocalist and political activist, Maria Farantouri is considered one of the foremost interpreters of Greek music, especially the work of composer Mikis Theodorakis. A contralto singer with a deep, resonant voice, Farantouri is sometimes referred to as the Joan Baez of Greece, and over the years has moved from traditional and folk styles to more jazz, classical, and avant-garde works. Born in Athens in 1947, Farantouri first began singing in her youth as a member of the progressive choir of the Society of Greek Music, which worked to support new music based on Greek traditions. By her teens she caught the ear of Theodorakis, who invited her to join his ensemble. This led to a time of great creative and social awakening for Farantouri, who along with Theodorakis' culturally and politically left-leaning work, helped popularize the writing of many important Greek poets.
From 1967 to 1974, Farantouri was forced into exile after a right-wing military junta staged a coup in Greece. During this time, she and Theodorakis made several protest recordings in Europe and expanded their work to included the writing of Bertolt Brecht and Spanish composer Carlos Puebla, as well as many Greek composers including Eleni Karaindrou and Mikalis Bourboulis. Also during this period she released the anti-fascist recording "Mauthausen Cycle," a work by Theodorakis featuring the writing of poet Iakovos Kambanellis. Often referred to as a hymn to human rights, the cycle would become one of Farantouri's signature recordings. After returning to Greece in 1974, Farantouri resumed her successful recording career and began to expand her sound in a variety of directions, including jazz.

Never wavering from her political views, she was elected to the Greek Parliament and served from 1989 to 1993, representing the Panhellenic Socialist Movement. She continued to record from the mid-'90s onward and released a cornucopia of albums in various styles, even including a collection of George Gershwin standards in 2007. While she most often performs works by Greek writers and composers, Farantouri continues to expand herself creatively and can interpret nearly any style of music in her own unique way. In 2011, she appeared on the live album Athens Concert with jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and his quartet. ~ Matt Collar, Rovi

On her 1990 album "17 songs", arranged and produced by the Cuban Leo Brouwer, she interpreted songs by Leon Gieco, Kurt Weill, Lucio Dalla, Caetano Veloso, Friedrich Holländer and Vangelis.

Maria Farantouri - 17 Songs (1990)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Dienstag, 18. Mai 2021

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Rarities - The Upsetter Record Shop - Part II

The second LP of the pair is a real collectors´ delight. Here´s a heap of hard-to-find and never-before released masters, dating from between 1972 and 1977 (approx). There´s some dispute as to the true provenance of the tracks: "Concrete Jungle" and "Screw Face" and "Satisfy My Soul" are not Lee Perry productions at all, but Tuff Gong productions. The recording details are also a little erroneous: Randy´s is certainly a studio where some of these tracks were cut, but "WIRL" should read Dynamic, and "Rainbow Country" was cut at neither, but at Lee Perry´s Black Ark. As for the assertion that the records were produced at the back of Perry´s record shop, from where the title of the two albums is derived, it´s totally false, although doubtless Perry hatched what few marketing plans he had for The Wailers´ tracks he had recorded somewhere within the confines of his retail premises. No matter, however, since words on record sleeves are never as important as the music on which they´re supposed to inform. In this case, the music can speak perfectly eloquently for itself.

From the original liner notes:

"After 1969 and "Soul Rebels", the best of the Wailers-Upsetters combination was yet to come. At the end of 1970, returning from a trip in the cold of Europe, Bob Marley, downcast by the start of his international career, wrote "Long Long Winter". Back in Jamaica, he found himself confronted by the local flare-up, political disputes and a social upheaval. This was the context in which the Wailers got their second wind, through a realistic commentary on the misery of Kingston. The needy population and the man in the street thus legitimised them as the island´s number one band. Non only did reggae establish itself as part of the Jamaican culture order but also, from then on, Bob Marley became the spokesman of the ghetto cause. He recorded "Trenchtown Rock" and "Concrete Jungle" after the names of two well-known deprived districts in the capital.

Once again, as in 1969, the spirit and the sound combinations created by Perry´s genius made reggae explode. Old reworked tracks like "Put It On" and "Don´t Rock My Boat" took on a Rasta feel under Perry´s spell, through a magical procession of sounds, backed up by the soul of the Burru drums.

These sessions reflect this period, these were the new paramets which would define the throbbing and significant beat of reggae in the seventies. From the on, the Wailers went from hit to hit, the Jamaican record industry was working overtime and Lee Perry re-recorded and re-pressed the old tracks of 1969 and a new series of tracks (and, even more wonderful, the instrumental tracks) which form part of these rarities and illustrade the 2nc volume of "Upsetter Record Shop".

During 1971/72, when the Wailers were at the height of their success, Lee Perry produced the first versions of "Concrete Jungle" and "Natural Mystic", as well as "Satisfy My Soul" and "Screwface", which dealt with the negative side of power and of bad company.

These recordings are quite different from the ones mad ein 1969. In between, Glen Adams had gone to the United States and had been replaced by the young and talented Tyrone Downie. The acid keyborads of "Soul Rebels" gave way to horns (probably Tommy MCCook or Vin Gordon) and percussion but the main innovatin was anchoring the music to the particular rhythmic dynamic imposed by the two Barretts and which Lee Perry increasingly refinde, arriving at the apotheosis of the dub record in 1976 whith the sublime "Blackboard Jungle". At the same time, strengthened by his new world status, Bob Marley re-recorded many of the classics originally produced by Perry on his international albums."

Tracklist
1Concrete Jungle3:08
2Concrete Jungle (Version)3:11
3Screw Faces2:16
4Screw Faces (Version)2:16
5Love Life3:00
6Love Life (Version)2:56
7Satisfy My Soul2:10
8Satisfy My Soul (Version)2:57
9Rainbow Country4:26
10Rainbow Country (Version)3:34
11Long Long Winter3:03
12Long Long Winter (Version)3:02
13Put In On4:06
14Put In On (Version)3:35
15Don't Rock My Boat4:15
16Don't Rock My Boat (Version)4:15
17Keep On Movin'3:07
18Keep On Movin' (Version)3:02

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Rarities - The Upsetter Record Shop - Part II
(256 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Tribute To Bob Marley, Part 2 (Trojan)

Last week was the 40th anniversary of the death of music legend Bob Marley. The Jamaican reggae star died young in 1981, at just 36 from cancer, leaving behind a legacy that reaches across all musical genres, ages and around the world. His life was certainly cut too short but his music lives on for generations and generations.

This compilation is a follow-up to the original tribute records on Trojan. It includes Marley covers and tracks inspired by him from a range of artists (many personal friends) including Jacki Mittoo, Ken Boothe, Augustus Pablo, the Heptones, Lee Perry, Andrew Tosh and U Roy.

It should be pointed out that, whilst Bob Marley was singled out for acclaim by the music media, it was the Wailers as a unit who defined the sound of Jamaica´s best know group. To ignore the contributions of Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh would be to tell only part of the story. For they, along with Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths, as well as the various musicians who played with the Wailers, formed an inseparable part of the Bob Marley legend.


Tracklist:

1 C. Livingston– Tribute To Bobby 1:16
2 Joe Gibbs All Stars– Ghost Capturer (Duppy Conqueror) 3:02
3 Upsetters– Dreamland 2:30
4 U. Roy– Dreamland (Version) 2:28
5 Ronnie Davis– Kaya 3:44
6 R. Zee Jackson– Bend Down Low / Put It On 2:43
7 Jackie Mittoo– Put It On 2:27
8 Ken Boothe– I Shot The Sheriff 4:41
9 Sambo Jim– Natty Dread 2:35
10 Augustus Pablo– Mr. Big (Natty Dread) 3:45
11 Ken Boothe– African Lady 3:44
12 Big Youth– Moving Version (Keep On Moving) 3:02
13 Winston Scotland– Skanky Dog (Maga Dog) 2:45
14 Heptones– Hipocrite 3:01
15 Inner Circle– Burial 3:34
16 Upsetters– Battle Axe (Small Axe) 3:34
17 Judy Mowatt– Mellow Mood 2:47
18 Ken Boothe– No Woman No Cry 2:58
19 Andrew Tosh– The Original Man 3:41
20 Andrew Tosh– The Original Man (Dub Version) 3:53
21 C. Livingston– Dub To Bobby 3:53

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Montag, 17. Mai 2021

Bob Marley & The Wailers - The Complete Soul Rebels - The Upsetter Record Shop - Part I

A bizarre title for a Bob Marley album, with a faintly eccentric sleevenote (see below) and track listing to boot. However, the music, basically the "Soul Rebels" LP remastered with the original two-track tape and with instrumental versions following each song, is unimpeachable, even if we´ve heard it all before. The running order is different from the original LP, and "Memphis", an instrumental track anyway, isn´t included. Tracks with different titles turn out to be nothing new, but collectors will not worry about it, being grateful instead for the few Marley tid-bits they are thrown, even if they are merely the backing tracks of songs they know and love.
 
 
From the original linernotes:

"The Upsetter Record Shop Part I contains eleven tracks and their instrumental versions, mostly recorded in 1969 with Glen Adams on keyboradds, Alva Lewis on guitar, the Barrett brothers in the rhythm section and Lee Perry at the mixing desk. Two tracks are sung by Peter Tosh.

The vocal tracks which form this first volume were on the original Jamaican album "Soul Rebels" and were produced by Lee Perry in the back of his Upsetter Record Shop. The first series, recorded between 1969 and 1970, mark a date in the history of reggae because it was a categorical break with the tradition of sixties ska and rock-steady: Perry shifted and transformed the old sound in give it more life and more sharpness, based on the Barrett brohters´ rhythm section and Glen Adams´ keyborads. The Wailers formation then invented the concept of the "Soul ManRebel" with the "Black Is Beautiful" slogan and began to claim their Afro-Caribbean pride to set themselves apart from the "rude boys" etc.
This period seemed to be relatively well-known to fans as a result of the various albums issued in England, but, by a stroke of exceptional good luck, "Upsetter Record Shop" brings together, for the first time, all the "Soul Rebel" instrumental versions, those famous B-sides of the Jamaican singles which were previously little know.
After "Soul Revolution", this virtually brings up to date almost all the famous 1969 sessions between the Upsetters, Lee Perry and the Wailers."


Tracklist
1Soul Rebels3:18
2Soul Rebels (Version)2:40
3No Water Can Quench My Thirst2:35
4No Water (Version)2:49
5Rebel Hop2:50
6Rebel Hop (Version)2:45
7No Sympathy2:50
8No Sympathy (Version)2:41
9It's All Right2:30
10It's All Right (Version)2:30
11Reaction3:34
12Reaction (Version)3:31
13Corner Stone2:40
14Corner Stone (Version)2:22
15400 Years2:40
16400 Years (Version)2:41
17Make Up3:25
18Make Up (Version)3:11
19Try Me3:04
20Try Me (Version)3:02
21Soul Almighty3:25
22Soul Almighty (Version)3:18


Bob Marley & The Wailers - The Complete Soul Rebels - The Upsetter Record Shop - Part I
(256 kbps, cover art included)