Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon - In Paris - Baby Please Come Home!

Piano pumper Mephis Slim (1915 - 1988) and bass thumper Willie Dixon (1915 - 1992) were kindred spirits. Both men were commanding vocalists and brilliant songwriters who played key roles in shaping the Chicago blues sound of the 50s, though their roots were in an earlier era.

The tow blues men usually worked separately, but duting the late 50s and early 60s they frequently teamed up for recordings, club dates, and concerts, often in Europe.

This recording of a 1962 show in Paris is a vital document of that accosication. It's not a landmark event in either of the blues legends' distinguished recording careers, but it's a nice enough outing with a friendly, low-key tone. Slim recorded a lot of LPs in the early '60s, often as a solo pianist/vocalist, and this is frankly more lively than his norm for the era, if for nothing else than the fact that he's playing in a band. The Dixon-sung tracks are interesting inasmuch as he didn't record much during this period, though he's really adequate at best as a singer. When Slim sings, he sticks mostly to self-penned material; the Dixon-fronted cuts may stir some curiosity among blues fans due to the inclusion of some of Willie's more obscure compositions, like the novelty-tinged "African Hunch with a Boogie Beat."

Tracklist:

1	Rock And Rolling The House	4:28
2	Baby Please Come Home	2:16
3	How Make You Do Me Like You Do	4:59
4	The Way She Loves A Man	3:08
5	New Way To Love	5:30
6	Afican Hunch With A Boogie Beat	3:35
7	Shame Pretty Girls	3:24
8	Baby-Baby-Baby	3:04
9	Do De Do	2:41
10	Cold Blooded	5:37
11	Just You And I	2:55
12	Pigalle Love	3:59
13	All By Myself	1:44

Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon -  In Paris - Baby Please Come Home!
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Dakar Sound Volume 2 - Sorano Singers

It was in the 70s that Dakar-businessman Mass Diokhane, dealer in cars and radio-cassete players, got the idea to produce young talents of his nieghbourhood on a label called "Touba Auto K7". So he hired a technician and they started to record the new sound of booming Dakar.

After the huge success of Etoile 2000 Diokhane´s next idea was to record the Sorano Singers, who are the vocalists of the national ensemble. They practice and perform at the Sorano theatre in Dakar, which is still the breeding-place for new traditional talent. Diokhane taped the music almost without rehearsing, using just two microphones, as the various singers improvise their text on a well known tradtional melody.

The Sorano singers are presented here with a selection of songs from their individual cassettes, all released in the beginning of the eighties. Madiodio makes her entranceon this CD with a song called Xouda Doki. She is accompagnied by a mysterious group called SK7. The orther artists are backed up by non other than Super Etoile.

Dakar Sound Volume 2 - Sorano Singers
(192 kbps, ca. 64 MB)

VA - Dakar Sound Sampler Vol. 2

In Senegal, international capitalism meets traditional African commerce head on. The skyscrapers and colonial buildings of Dakar may be crumbling, but down by the Medina, the city´s original `native quarter´, they´re building vast ultra-modern banks, while, outside, stalls errupt from pavements heaving with hawkers and touts. And evreyone it seems, from the ragged beggars to the sleek-suited executives or the turbanned women in billowing robes and stiletto hells, is radiating pise and self possession - the same nonchalant swagger that underpins mbalax, the rhythm that has come to define Senegalese music.

A collection of classic West African pop music, "Dakar Sound Sampler Vol. 2" showcases some of the "Dakar Sound" label’s finest releases.

Tracklist:

 1. Bolero - Dexter Johnson

2. Mamu Wa Mpoy - African Fiesta

3. Seul - Superstar

4. Am Am - Royal Band

5. Kontar

6. Xouda Doki

7. Kolankoma - Sékou Bembya Diabaté

8. Darou Muxti

9. Tounka - Djanka Diabate,

10. Tama - Sekou Kouyate

11. Mkuki Myoni - Tondo

12. Kyere Wo Do

13. Dowaka

14. Liverpool

VA - Dakar Sound Sampler Vol. 2
(192 kbps, cover art included)

VA - Cajun Vol. 1 - Abbeville Breakdown 1929-1939

A collection of ancient recordings of Cajun music by musicians from the Abbeville area of Louisiana. These songs were all recorded between 1929 and 1939, and are split essentially into two groups. The Breaux Fréres (and brother-in-law Joseph Falcon) provide the earlier half of the works, with an early mastery of the basic Cajun lineup that would become standard -- accordion, fiddle, and guitar. Falcon proves himself a worthy accordionist, paving the way for much of the later music to come from the genre (and simultaneously standing as the first recorded Cajun accordion player). Cleoma Breaux Falcon (his wife) is an able guitarist, and the Breaux Fréres do well on fiddle and accordion, as needed.

The second half of the album is dominated by the Alley Boys of Abbeville, an accordion-less group of youngsters who recorded once for Vocalion and were recorded again on various compilations. The recording quality on the album is admittedly sub-par, and seemingly not remastered completely. Nonetheless, it's an enjoyable album for those looking for the roots of Cajun music, though the rare recordings of Amédé Ardoin would be recommended beforehand, as the branching point for both Cajun and Zydeco forms.    

Tracklist:

 1. Vas Y Carrément  - Amedee Breaux/Cleoma Breaux & Ophy Breaux

2. Poche-Town - Joe Falcon/Cleoma Breaux & Ophy Breaux

3. Prenez Courage (Take Courage) - Cleoma Breaux/Joe Falcon & Ophy Breaux

4. Quand Je Suit Partis Pour Le Texas - Cleoma Breaux/Joe Falcon & Ophy Breaux

5. Aimer Et Perdre (To Love And Lose) - Joe Falcon

6. Egan One Step - Breaux Feres

7. T' As Volé Mon Chapeau (You Have Stolen My Hat) - Breaux Feres

8. Home Sweet Home - Breaux Feres

9. Le One Step A Martin - Breaux Feres

10. La Valse Du Bayou Plaquemine - Breaux Feres

11. Abbeville Breakdown

12. Te A Pas Raison (You Have No Reason)

13. Se Toute Sain Comme Moi Ma Saine (I Wonder If You Feel The Way I Do)

14. Jolie Petite Fille (Pretty Little Girl)

15. Quel Espoire (What's The Use)

16. Moi Et Ma Belle (Me And My Pretty One)

17. Je Vous T' Aime Lessair Pleurer (I'll Never Let You Cry)

18. Es Ce Que Tu Pense Jamais A Moi (Do You Ever Think Of Me)

19. Tu Ma Quite Seul (Prisoner's Song)

20. Jolie Petite Blonde (Small Pretty Blonde)

21. Apres Jengles A Toi (Thinking Of You)

22. Te Bonne Pour Moi Estere (I Don't Care What You Used To Be)

VA - Cajun Vol. 1 - Abbeville Breakdown 1929-1939    
(192 kbps, cover art included)    

Lecuona Cuban Boys - Lecuona Cuban Boys (1965)

The Lecuona Cuban Boys was a popular Cuban orchestra which toured the world for over forty years.

The band was founded by Ernesto Lecuona, whose role was that of a patron-entrepreneur. He did not actually play with the band, but sometimes gave a piano recital before the band played. The core of the band was put together in 1931 as Orquesta Encanto; the band changed name early in 1934. On tour in Europe, in 1934, Lecuona returned to Cuba, and Armando Oréfiche took charge of the band in Europe. Ernesto gave them the gift of his name, which, at the time, was a property well worth having, and the right to use a number of his compositions.

The LCB was exceptionally strong in arrangements, compositions and instrumental quality (most of them could play two or three instruments). Their only weak spot was the lack of a really first-rate Cuban singer, but that was not so important as might seem because they played so often to non-Latin audiences. Some of their pick-up singers could sing in English, and many of their numbers were instrumentals. The band played the full range of Cuban popular music, but their speciality was the conga. Though it was perhaps Eliseo Grenet who first composed a conga in its ballroom dance style, it was certainly the LCB who took it round the world and made it famous. The LCB was therefore the first conjunto to use the conga drum regularly in its performances, and not Arsenio Rodríguez, as is often supposed.

The band initially organized itself as a collective, but in practice Armando Oréfiche (composer, arranger, pianist) was the leader. Other band members were Ernesto 'Jaruco' Vázquez (trumpeter, guitarist, composer, arranger); Adalberto 'Chiquito' Oréfiche (tenor sax and bongo); Agustin Bruguera (timbales, conga, voice); Gerardo Bruguera (tenor sax and clarinet); Jesús Bertomeu (trombone); Jorge Domínguez (alto sax, clarinet, violin); Daniel González (alto sax, clarinet, violin); Guillermo Hernández (guitar, tumba, guiro, maracas); Enrique López Rivero (trumpet) 1932 34; Alberto Rabagliati (voice) engaged 1934; later Fernando Díaz and Luis Escalante were engaged as replacement trumpeters. In 1947 Bob (Irv) Mesher joined the group after a brief stint with Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez and Pupi Campo. Irv took over the lead chair when Jaruco Vazquez left the band...

The band toured throughout the world: the USA, Latin America and Europe were the main tours. When World War II broke out, the band went to Latin America and continued their touring there. After WWII there was a dispute within the band, which ended in a split. Armando Oréfiche left with a few members, and started the Havana Cuban Boys; the rest stayed under the old name, based in New York until 1960. The Lecuona Cuban Boys continued to tour, and finally retired in 1975.

Tracklist:

Mama Inéz (Rumba)
La Cumbia Del Amor (Cumbia)
Solamente Una Vez (Bolero)
El Bodeguero (Merengue)
My Shawl (Bolero-Cha-Cha)
Rumba Mirinda
Organito De La Tarde (Mambo)
Caribia (Afro)
Anita (Cha-Cha)
Choce (Cumbia)
Lamento Borincano (Bolero)
Campanitas De Cristal (Porqué) (Cumbia)
Chivirico (Merengue)
La Comparsa (Cumbia)

Lecuona Cuban Boys - Lecuona Cuban Boys (1965)
(192 kbps, cover art included)

Mary Hopkins - Earth Song / Ocean Song (1971)

It was the British supermodel Twiggy who alerted Paul McCartney to the Welsh singer Mary Hopkin when Apple Records was looking for talent in 1968. The waifish soprano scored a huge worldwide smash with her first Apple single, the melancholy but rabble-rousing ballad "Those Were the Days," in late 1968; it actually knocked the Beatles' own "Hey Jude" out of the number one position in the U.K. Paul McCartney lent Hopkin a further hand by producing her first album and writing her second single, "Goodbye," which was also a hit. More comfortable with refined, precious ballads and folky pop than rock, Hopkin scored several more hit singles in the U.K., although she never entered the American Top 40 again. Her commercial success diminished as Apple's fortunes dwindled in the early '70s.    

More folk-oriented than her first effort, Mary Hopkin's lilting voice soothes the listener like hot tea with honey. Included in this set, which was produced by Tony Visconti, are her interpretations of Ralph McTell's "Streets of London," Cat Stevens' "The Wind," and Gallagher & Lyle's "International."    

Tracklist:
01 - International
02 - There's Got To Be More
03 - Silver Birch And Weeping Willow
04 - How Come The Sun
05 - Earth Song
06 - Martha
07 - Streets Of London
08 - The Wind
09 - Water, Paper And Clay
10 - Ocean Song

Mary Hopkins - Earth Song / Ocean Song (1971)         
(320 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)

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)

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)