[RE-UP] PEARL JAM

PEARL JAM
LIVE ON TWO LEGS (1998)
320 KBPS

Not long after Ten unexpectedly topped the charts, Pearl Jam became notorious for their intense live performances. Even more notable than the group's unbridled energy was their willingness to stretch out their songs or throw in covers, reminding jaded audiences that rock concerts could be electric and energetic. Their Seattle peers were equally (sometimes more) compelling, but Pearl Jam skillfully made arena rock feel as intimate as a punk club show — something that no other band of their time could do. Instead of building this reputation throughout the course of the '90s, the quintet let it fade away as they became embroiled in a vicious battle with Ticketmaster that ultimately proved unfruitful. Not only did the court cases tie up several years of touring, they also refused to play any venue with contracts with Ticketmaster once it was finished — which meant they played off-market venues that were difficult to reach, thereby decreasing their potential audience substantially. Once 1998's Yield didn't move as much as anyone expected, the band released Live on Two Legs a few short months later. It was culled from Yield's supporting tour, and the difference is substantial — Pearl Jam still sounds good, but they lack the wild energy that distinguished their early years. Professionalism has its good points, however, and it's true that Live on Two Legs is eminently listenable, thanks in no small part to a fine track selection illustrating that the best moments of No Code and Yield rank with Ten, Vs., and Vitalogy. For all the good points — the tight interaction, the occasional nifty solo, Eddie Vedder's powerful performance — the album never quite catches fire. Instead, Live on Two Legs is a souvenir, a thank you to fans who have stood by throughout the years, and on those terms, it's successful.

1. Corduroy
2. Given to Fly
3. Hail Hail
4. Daughter
5. Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town
6. Untitled
7. MFC
8. Go
9. Red Mosquito
10. Even Flow
11. Off He Goes
12. Nothingman
13. Do the Evolution
14. Betterman
15. Black
16. Fuckin' Up

JIMMY BARNES

JIMMY BARNES
FLESH AND WOOD/HEAT (1993)
320 KBPS

Disc 1:
HEAT

Heat is the sixth album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. It reached number 2 on the ARIA album charts in 1993, and features the singles Sweat It Out, Stand Up, Stone Cold and Right By Your Side. Those who love classic rock will appreciate this album and Jimmy's raspy, rocky voice.

1. Sweat it Out
2. Wheels in Motion
3. Stand Up
4. Burn Baby Burn
5. Something's Got a Hold
6. Love Thing
7. Talking to You
8. Stone Cold
9. Wait for Me
10. Tears We Cry
11. Right by Your Side
12. A Little Bit of Love
13. I'd Rather be Blind
14. Not the Loving Kind
15. Knock Me Down
16. Catch Your Shadow

Disc Two:
FLESH AND WOOD

Legendary Australian singer/rocker Jimmy Barnes, formerly the lead singer of Cold Chisel, asked the band Badloves to collaberate with him on his Australian top 5 double platinum album Flesh and Wood. In partnership they recorded a cover version of The Band's classic "The Weight" at Barnes' home studio in Bowral, just south of Sydney. "The Weight" was the first single lifted from the album and became a top 5 single hit on the Australian charts in 1993.

1. It Will Be Alright
2. The Weight (with The Badloves)
3. Ride The Night Away
4. Guilty (with Joe Cocker)
5. You Cant Make Love Without A Soul
6. Hell Of A Time (with Ross Wilson)
7. Brother Of Mine (with Tommy Emmanuel)
8. Fade To Black
9. Flame Trees
10. Still Got A Long Way To Go (with Diesel)
11. Still On Your Side
12. Stone Cold (with Don Walker)
13. Let It Go (with Deborah Conway)
14. We Could Be Gone (with Archie Roach)
15. Love Me Tender

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
GREETINGS FROM ASBURY PARK, N.J. (1973)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Bruce Springsteen's debut album found him squarely in the tradition of Bob Dylan: folk-based tunes arranged for an electric band featuring piano and organ (plus, in Springsteen's case, 1950s-style rock & roll tenor saxophone breaks), topped by acoustic guitar and a husky voice singing lyrics full of elaborate, even exaggerated imagery. But where Dylan had taken a world-weary, cynical tone, Springsteen was exuberant. His street scenes could be haunted and tragic, as they were in "Lost in the Flood," but they were still imbued with romanticism and a youthful energy. Asbury Park painted a portrait of teenagers cocksure of themselves, yet bowled over by their discovery of the world. It was saved from pretentiousness (if not preciousness) by its sense of humor and by the careful eye for detail that kept even the most high-flown language rooted. Like the lyrics, the arrangements were busy, but the melodies were well developed and the rhythms, pushed by drummer Vincent Lopez, were breakneck.

1 Blinded By the Light
2 Growin' Up
3 Mary Queen of Arkansas
4 Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
5 Lost in the Flood
6 The Angel
7 For You
8 Spirit in the Night
9 It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City

[RE-UP] MARTHA VELEZ

MARTHA VELEZ
FIENDS & ANGELS (1969)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Martha Velez only issued five albums in her recording career of the 1960s & 1970s. But she has a cult fan following and her albums feature a host of guest musicians. Recorded in 1969, Fiends & Angels is making its worldwide CD debut & features Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Brian Auger, Christine McVie, Jim Capaldi, Mitch Mitchell and the list goes on.
the sound is straight out of the late sixties-a slight blending of instruments and voice that makes for a good,naturally warm sound. As expected,the quality of the backing band is great and helps place this album above the average run of the mill release. On various tracks its easy to hear which guitarist is playing,and while there are no long solos,the arrangements are just fine.
A lost gem you've got to listen to.

1. I'm Gonna Leave You
2. Swamp Man
3. Fool for You
4. In My Girlish Days
5. Very Good Fandango
6. Tell Mama
7. Feel So Bad
8. Drive Me Daddy
9. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
10. Come Here Sweet Man
11. Let the Good Times Roll

BOB DYLAN

BOB DYLAN
JOHN WESLEY HARDING (1967)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Bob Dylan returned from exile with John Wesley Harding, a quiet, country-tinged album that split dramatically from his previous three. A calm, reflective album, John Wesley Harding strips away all of the wilder tendencies of Dylan's rock albums -- even the then-unreleased Basement Tapes he made the previous year -- but it isn't a return to his folk roots. If anything, the album is his first serious foray into country, but only a handful of songs, such as "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," are straight country songs. Instead, John Wesley Harding is informed by the rustic sound of country, as well as many rural myths, with seemingly simple songs like "All Along the Watchtower," "I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine," and "The Wicked Messenger" revealing several layers of meaning with repeated plays. Although the lyrics are somewhat enigmatic, the music is simple, direct, and melodic, providing a touchstone for the country-rock revolution that swept through rock in the late '60s.

1. John Wesley Harding
2. As I Went Out One Morning
3. I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine
4. All Along the Watchtower
5. The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest
6. Drifter's Escape
7. Dear Landlord
8. I Am a Lonesome Hobo
9. I Pity the Poor Immigrant
10. The Wicked Messenger
11. Down Along the Cove
12. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

GREAT WHITE

GREAT WHITE
SAIL AWAY (1994)
320 KBPS

Great White must be one of the best American hard rock bands from the dreadful "hair metal" era. Wanna know why? Well, simply because when most of the other bands from that scene played party rock'n'roll with a bigger sound, GW had a little something extra, a.k.a. the blues, to enrich their sound and make it less of a "Mode du Jour"... On Sail Away, the guys took a bold move by tryin' their hands on mellower material. Indeed, most of the tracks featured here are acoustic numbers and...it works! And with the addition of the live CD, where singer Jack Russell makes his first imprinted impression of Robert Plant (Babe [I'm Gonna Leave You]) and a few of the bands classics thrown in for good measure, it's a package which will please the blues, rock and hard rock lovers.

1. A Short Overture
2. Mother's Eyes
3. Cryin'
4. Momma Don't Stop
5. Alone
6. All Right
7. Sail Away
8. Gone With The Wind
9. Livin' In The U.S.A.
10. If I Ever Saw A Good Thing
Bonus Disc
Anaheim Live
1. Call It Rock N' Roll
2. All Over Now
3. Love Is A Lie
4. Old Rose Motel
5. Babe (I'm Gonna Leave You)
6. Rock Me
7. Once Bitten Twice Shy

YOUNG DUBLINERS

YOUNG DUBLINERS
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT (2007)
256 KBPS

Cut from the same cloth as bands like Great Big Sea, Black 47, and the Pogues, the Young Dubliners put some rock 'n' roll in their Irish ditties. Here on its sixth album, the L.A.-based band looks back to the old country, mostly reinterpreting some of the Emerald Isle's greatest songs. Pogues fans will recognize such classics as "If I Should Fail To Fall From The Grace Of God" and "Pair Of Brown Eyes," and there are two Dubliners songs too, but the rest are traditionals as well as one original and one song adapted from a Patrick Kavanagh poem. Likely best enjoyed in the company of friends, this album is prime fodder for night of drinking in the pub thanks to the sing along choruses and big crunchy guitar parts. It's a fair piece from the tradition, but this band manages to keep the communal aspect of Irish music intact, and that means this tribute hits just the right note.

1. Follow Me Up to Carlow
2. If I Should Fall From Grace With God
3. I'll Tell Me Ma
4. Weila Waile
5. Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore
6. McAlpine's Fusiliers
7. Ashley Falls
8. The Foggy Dew
9. A Pair Of Brown Eyes
10. The Leaving Of Liverpool
11. The Rocky Road To Dublin
12. Raglan Road
13. The Auld Triangle

NEIL YOUNG

NEIL YOUNG
AMERICAN STARS 'N BARS (1977)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

OK, "Like A Hurricane" and "Star Of Bethlehem" have been available on CD for years ("Decade"), and "American Stars & Bars" is sort of a Frankenstein effort, combining material from the aborted "Homegrown" album and featuring a mish-mash of Crazy Horse & Stray Gators with Emmylou, Linda and Nicolette thrown in. However, forget all that. The three essential "Lost CD Tracks" are: 1). "Hey Babe"...Nice easygoing Neil that would have sounded perfectly at home on the "Comes A Time" album, 2). "Bite The Bullet"...He must have been channeling BB King when he recorded the solo on this, because it is atypical of his "spray the air with random notes and feedback for ten minutes" style: brief (30 seconds or so), precise, and it stings like a big ol' mother bee. Plenty of bad attitude whammy bar vibrato being squeezed out of his beloved "Old Black" on this one, folks. Nicolette (and particularly Linda) shout / chant "Bite The Bullet" like a crazed mantra as Neil and the band slash and burn through three and a half minutes of the toughest, loudest, cleanest music he's ever recorded. EVER. Listen to it and you'll know why some people use the words "Neil Young" and "Lou Reed" in the same sentence. Finally, 3). "Hold Back The Tears"...which backs off a bit in intensity from "Bullet" but still features many of the dynamics that make that track great (Linda and Nicolette, and a memorable chorus). Legendary stuff that still smolders 26 years later.

1. Old Country Waltz
2. Saddle Up the Palomino
3. Hey Babe
4. Hold Back the Tears
5. Bite the Bullet
6. Star of Bethlehem
7. Will to Love
8. Like a Hurricane
9. Homegrown

BOB DYLAN

BOB DYLAN
DESIRE (1976)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

If Blood on the Tracks was an unapologetically intimate affair, Desire is unwieldy and messy, the deliberate work of a collective. And while Bob Dylan directly addresses his crumbling relationship with his wife, Sara, on the final track, Desire is hardly as personal as its predecessor, finding Dylan returning to topical songwriting and folk tales for the core of the record. It's all over the map, as far as songwriting goes, and so is it musically, capturing Dylan at the beginning of the Rolling Thunder Revue era, which was more notable for its chaos than its music. And, so it's only fitting that Desire fits that description as well, as it careens between surging folk-rock, Mideastern dirges, skipping pop, and epic narratives. It's little surprise that Desire doesn't quite gel, yet it retains its own character — really, there's no other place where Dylan tried as many different styles, as many weird detours, as he does here. And, there's something to be said for its rambling, sprawling character, which has a charm of its own. Even so, the record would have been assisted by a more consistent set of songs; there are some masterpieces here, though: "Hurricane" is the best-known, but the effervescent "Mozambique" is Dylan at his breeziest, "Sara" at his most nakedly emotional, and "Isis" is one of his very best songs of the '70s, a hypnotic, contemporized spin on a classic fable. This may not add up to a masterpiece, but it does result in one of his most fascinating records of the '70s and '80s — more intriguing, lyrically and musically, than most of his latter-day affairs.

1. Hurricane
2. Isis
3. Mozambique
4. One More Cup Of Coffee
5. Oh, Sister
6. Joey
7. Romance In Durango
8. Black Diamond Bay
9. Sara

LIVE

LIVE
SECRET SAMADHI (1997)
320 KBPS

You've probably heard a lot of mixed reviews about this one. Critics bash it for being slow and unorganized, but fans love it for its dark tones and eerie singing. If you are expecting Throwing Copper out of this record, you will be very disappointed. It's a whole other beast.
The album is very slow, sometimes unbearably slow. However, the slowness of many of the songs are what makes them so effective. The guitar effects may seem excessive at first, but they are what really makes this album great. Chad Taylor is one of the most underrated guitar players of the 1990's, and he really shines on this record. His solos may not be prolific, but the notes are perfectly chosen and sound incredible. Patrick Dahlheimer's bass playing is often subtle but is equally brilliant. Like Taylor on the guitar, Chad Gracey is easily the most underrated drummer of the 90's. His snare drum sound is so recognizable and there is not a drummer around who can do so much with the snare drum alone. Ed Kowalczyk is great as the lead singer, but on some songs, his lyrics fall flat. On the song Century, you may find yourself amazed to hear words like "I can smell your armpits" and "Puke stinks like Beer."
The album highlights are Rattlesnake, Lakini's Juice, Ghost, Insomnia and the Hole in the Universe, Turn My Head, Heropsychodreamer, Freaks, and Gas Hed Goes West. Overall, this is a great 90's record and I think you will be satisfied if you get it.

1. Rattlesnake
2. Lakini's Juice
3. Graze
4. Century
5. Ghost
6. Unsheathed
7. Insomnia And The Hole In The Universe
8. Turn My Head
9. Heropsychodreamer
10. Freaks
11. Merica
12. Gas Hed Goes West

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
TUNNEL OF LOVE (1987)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Just as he had followed his 1980 commercial breakthrough The River with the challenging Nebraska, Bruce Springsteen followed the most popular album of his career, Born in the U.S.A., with another low-key, anguished effort, Tunnel of Love. Especially in their sound, several of the songs, "Cautious Man" and "Two Faces," for example, could have fit seamlessly onto Nebraska, though the arrangements overall were not as stripped-down and acoustic as on the earlier album. While Nebraska was filled with songs of economic desperation, however, Tunnel of Love, as its title suggested, was an album of romantic exploration. But the lovers were just as desperate in their way as Nebraska's small-time criminals. In song after song, Springsteen questioned the trust and honesty on both sides in a romantic relationship, specifically a married relationship. Since Springsteen sounded more autobiographical than ever before ("Ain't Got You" referred to his popular success, while "Walk Like a Man" seemed another explicit message to his father), it was hard not to wonder about the state of his own two-and-a-half-year marriage, and it wasn't surprising when that marriage collapsed the following year. Tunnel of Love was not the album that the ten million fans who had bought Born in the U.S.A. as of 1987 were waiting for, and though it topped the charts, sold three million copies, and spawned three Top 40 hits, much of this was on career momentum. Springsteen was as much at a crossroads with his audience as he seemed to be in his work and in his personal life, though this was not immediately apparent.

1. Ain't Got You
2. Tougher Than the Rest
3. All That Heaven Will Allow
4. Spare Parts
5. Cautious Man
6. Walk Like a Man
7. Tunnel of Love
8. Two Faces
9. Brilliant Disguise
10. One Step Up
11. When You're Alone
12. Valentine's Day

JOBRIATH

JOBRIATH
BRAITHE (1973)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Grandiose, obsessive, overbearing, precocious, pretentious — you could spend a lifetime browsing the thesaurus and still never put your finger on everything that makes Jobriath's debut the legend that it is. Part of the problem, of course, is reputation — after 20 years of being hammered as the hype that scuppered glam rock in the U.S., then five more of rediscovery and absolute reinvention, Jobriath is today revered as much for its maker's status as gay America's first public icon as for its actual contents. Maybe even more so. Strip away such hullabaloo, however, and you're still left with an album that merits all the applause. Of course it's rock — "World Without End" and "Earthling" are even funk rock, and so smartly shade David Bowie's "Fame" and "Stay" bookends that one cannot help but wonder — but it's so much more than that. Jobriath's voice falls somewhere between vaudeville over-elucidation and operatic emphasis; his lyrics ooze pierrots, aliens, and movie stars, and his arrangements make Queen sound like an underachieving garage band. A few years later, Meatloaf would take a similar grasp on the vastness of excess and make a million. Jobriath made a millstone, but the parallels are apparent all the same. Heartfelt ballad as medieval battering ram. The stars of the show are spotlit from the start. Eddie Kramer's production ranks among his most unrestrained ever, so that even the piano ballads are draped across the broadest of stages. Add the band to the brew, and you can hear the kitchen sinks flying in. But if Jobriath (like Bat Out of Hell) is awash in brain-charring overkill, the surfeit is by no means gratuitous — or rather, it is, but only because it needs to be. In any other surroundings, songs like "Movie Queen" and "Inside" would seem slight and trite. Here they are the shade that prefigures the light — the sun-bright blast of "Morning Starship," the Rocky Horror boogie of "Rock of Ages," the unfettered majesty of "Take Me I'm Yours." Jobriath's songs are big-screen Cinerama, the slightest motion ten feet tall, the tiniest whisper Sensurround sharp. And just when you think they can't get any bigger, "Blow Away" wraps things up with a choral concerto, a hammy hymn, an exaggeration so huge that even the lyrical lift from Three Little Piggies sounds dramatic and profound. Grand and grandiose, obsessive and overbearing, precocious, and pretentious — it's Jobriath. What else did you expect?

1. Take Me I'm Yours
2. Be Still
3. World Without End
4. Space Clown
5. Earthling
6. Movie Queen
7. I'maman
8. Inside
9. Morning Star Ship
10. Rock of Ages
11. Blow Away

RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON

RICHARD & LINDA THOMPSON
THE END OF THE RAINBOW, AN INTRODUCTION TO (2000)
320 KBPS

Richard Thompson earned the respect of fans for his guitar playing with Fairport Convention in the late 1960s. But it was the albums he made with his then-wife Linda in the early 1970s that gained him the reputation as one the premier songwriters to emerge from the British folk-rock scene. The songs on this 16-song collection are taken from the couple's first four albums together: Henry the Human Fly (actually a Richard Thompson solo record with Linda's background vocals), the classic I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, and Pour Down Like Silver. Linda's slightly husky alto inspired some of Richard's sweetest melodies, such as "Dimming of the Day," "For Shame of Doing Wrong," and "Down Where the Drunkards Roll," even as their sometimes rocky relationship caused him to write some of his gloomiest lyrics. The words may sometimes paint a bleak view of human relations, but the beauty of Linda's voice and the perfection of Richard's guitar lines do an excellent job of lightening the heavy mood.

1. Roll Over Vaughn Williams
2. Poor Ditching Boy
3. When I Get To The Border
4. Withered And Died
5. I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight
6. Down Where The Drunkards Roll
7. The End Of The Rainbow
8. The Great Valerio
9. Hokey Pokey
10. Never Again
11. A Heart Needs A Home
12. For Shame Of Doing Wrong
13. Night Comes In
14. Beat The Retreat
15. Dimming Of The Day/Dargai
16. Calvary Cross

BOB DYLAN SPECIAL

BOB DYLAN SPECIAL

BOB DYLAN (1962)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Bob Dylan's first album is a lot like the debut albums by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones — a sterling effort, outclassing most, if not all, of what came before it in the genre, but similarly eclipsed by the artist's own subsequent efforts. The difference was that not very many people heard Bob Dylan on its original release (originals on the early-'60s Columbia label are choice collectibles) because it was recorded with a much smaller audience and musical arena in mind. At the time of Bob Dylan's release, the folk revival was rolling, and interpretation was considered more important than original composition by most of that audience. A significant portion of the record is possessed by the style and spirit of Woody Guthrie, whose influence as a singer and guitarist hovers over "Man of Constant Sorrow" and "Pretty Peggy-O," as well as the two originals here, the savagely witty "Talkin' New York" and the poignant "Song to Woody"; and it's also hard to believe that he wasn't aware of Jimmie Rodgers and Roy Acuff when he cut "Freight Train Blues." But on other songs, one can also hear the influences of Bukka White, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie Johnson, and Furry Lewis, in the playing and singing, and this is where Dylan departed significantly from most of his contemporaries. Other white folksingers of the era, including his older contemporaries Eric Von Schmidt and Dave Van Ronk, had incorporated blues in their work, but Dylan's presentation was more in your face, resembling in some respects (albeit in a more self-conscious way) the work of John Hammond, Jr., the son of the man who signed Dylan to Columbia Records and produced this album, who was just starting out in his own career at the time this record was made. There's a punk-like aggressiveness to the singing and playing here. His raspy-voiced delivery and guitar style were modeled largely on Guthrie's classic '40s and early-'50s recordings, but the assertiveness of the bluesmen he admires also comes out, making this one of the most powerful records to come out of the folk revival of which it was a part. Within a year of its release, Dylan, initially in tandem with young folk/protest singers like Peter, Paul & Mary and Phil Ochs, would alter the boundaries of that revival beyond recognition, but this album marked the pinnacle of that earlier phase, before it was overshadowed by this artist's more ambitious subsequent work. In that regard, the two original songs here serve as the bridge between Dylan's stylistic roots, as delineated on this album, and the more powerful and daringly original work that followed. One myth surrounding this album should also be dispelled here — his version of "House of the Rising Sun" here is worthwhile, but the version that was the inspiration for the Animals' recording was the one by Josh White.

1. You're No Good
2. Talkin' New York
3. In My Time of Dyin'
4. Man of Constant Sorrow
5. Fixin' to Die
6. Pretty Peggy-O
7. Highway 51 Blues
8. Gospel Plow
9. Baby, Let Me Follow You Down
10. House of the Risin' Sun
11. Freight Train Blues
12. Song to Woody
13. See That My Grave Is Kept Clean

THE FREEWHEELIN' BOB DYLAN (1963)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

It's hard to overestimate the importance of The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the record that firmly established Dylan as an unparalleled songwriter, one of considerable skill, imagination, and vision. At the time, folk had been quite popular on college campuses and bohemian circles, making headway onto the pop charts in diluted form, and while there certainly were a number of gifted songwriters, nobody had transcended the scene as Dylan did with this record. There are a couple (very good) covers, with "Corrina Corrina" and "Honey Just Allow Me One More Chance," but they pale with the originals here. At the time, the social protests received the most attention, and deservedly so, since "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," and "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" weren't just specific in their targets; they were gracefully executed and even melodic. Although they've proven resilient throughout the years, if that's all Freewheelin' had to offer, it wouldn't have had its seismic impact, but this also revealed a songwriter who could turn out whimsy ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), gorgeous love songs ("Girl From the North Country"), and cheerfully absurdist humor ("Bob Dylan's Blues," "Bob Dylan's Dream") with equal skill. This is rich, imaginative music, capturing the sound and spirit of America as much as that of Louis Armstrong, Hank Williams, or Elvis Presley. Dylan, in many ways, recorded music that equaled this, but he never topped it.

1. Blowin' in the Wind
2. Girl from the North Country
3. Masters of War
4. Down the Highway
5. Bob Dylan's Blues
6. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
7. Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
8. Bob Dylan's Dream
9. Oxford Town
10. Talking World War III Blues
11. Corrina, Corrina
12. Honey, Just Allow Me One More Chance
13. I Shall Be Free

THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN' (1964)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

If The Times They Are a-Changin' isn't a marked step forward from The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, even if it is his first collection of all originals, it's nevertheless a fine collection all the same. It isn't as rich as Freewheelin', and Dylan has tempered his sense of humor considerably, choosing to concentrate on social protests in the style of "Blowin' in the Wind." With the title track, he wrote an anthem that nearly equaled that song, and "With God on Our Side" and "Only a Pawn in Their Game" are nearly as good, while "Ballad of Hollis Brown" and "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" are remarkably skilled re-castings of contemporary tales of injustice. His absurdity is missed, but he makes up for it with the wonderful "One Too Many Mornings" and "Boots of Spanish Leather," two lovely classics. If there are a couple of songs that don't achieve the level of the aforementioned songs, that speaks more to the quality of those songs than the weakness of the remainder of the record. And that's also true of the album itself — yes, it pales next to its predecessor, but it's terrific by any other standard.

1. The Times They Are A-Changin'
2. Ballad of Hollis Brown
3. With God on Our Side
4. One Too Many Mornings
5. North Country Blues
6. Only a Pawn in Their Game
7. Boots of Spanish Leather
8. When the Ship Comes In
9. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
10. Restless Farewell

ANOTHER SIDE OF BOB DYLAN (1964)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

The other side of Bob Dylan referred to in the title is presumably his romantic, absurdist, and whimsical one — anything that wasn't featured on the staunchly folky, protest-heavy Times They Are a-Changin', really. Because of this, Another Side of Bob Dylan is a more varied record and it's more successful, too, since it captures Dylan expanding his music, turning in imaginative, poetic performances on love songs and protest tunes alike. This has an equal number of classics to its predecessor, actually, with "All I Really Want to Do," "Chimes of Freedom," "My Back Pages," "I Don't' Believe You," and "It Ain't Me Babe" standing among his standards, but the key to the record's success is the album tracks, which are graceful, poetic, and layered. Both the lyrics and music have gotten deeper and Dylan's trying more things — this, in its construction and attitude, is hardly strictly folk, as it encompasses far more than that. The result is one of his very best records, a lovely intimate affair.

1. All I Really Want to Do
2. Black Crow Blues
3. Spanish Harlem Incident
4. Chimes of Freedom
5. I Shall Be Free, No. 10
6. To Ramona
7. Motorpsycho Nitemare
8. My Back Pages
9. I Don't Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met)
10. Ballad in Plain D
11. It Ain't Me Babe

HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED (1965)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Taking the first, electric side of Bringing It All Back Home to its logical conclusion, Bob Dylan hired a full rock & roll band, featuring guitarist Michael Bloomfield, for Highway 61 Revisited. Opening with the epic "Like a Rolling Stone," Highway 61 Revisited careens through nine songs that range from reflective folk-rock ("Desolation Row") and blues ("It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry") to flat-out garage rock ("Tombstone Blues," "From a Buick 6," "Highway 61 Revisited"). Dylan had not only changed his sound, but his persona, trading the folk troubadour for a streetwise, cynical hipster. Throughout the album, he embraces druggy, surreal imagery, which can either have a sense of menace or beauty, and the music reflects that, jumping between soothing melodies to hard, bluesy rock. And that is the most revolutionary thing about Highway 61 Revisited — it proved that rock & roll needn't be collegiate and tame in order to be literate, poetic, and complex.

1. Like a Rolling Stone
2. Tombstone Blues
3. It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
4. From a Buick 6
5. Ballad of a Thin Man
6. Queen Jane Approximately
7. Highway 61 Revisited
8. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues
9. Desolation Row

[RE-UP] ARNO & THE SUBROVNICKS

ARNO & THE SUBROVNICKS
WATER (1994)
320 KBPS

This album is not an Arno album and shouldn't be considered as such. It didn't get much praise from the critics when it was released and went almost unnoticed by the potential buyers. This may come as a surprise when considering Arno's reputation even in 1994 but one has to remember this was, for the Belgian singer/songwriter, a recreation from his solo career, and a good one at that!
Reuniting with some old friends from the TC Matic era, Arno has cooked a broken down rock and blues album which bears the influence of Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Ian Dury. Yes, I know, that's quite an impressive list and the album lives to it.
True the production of Mike Butcher (better know for his work on Black Sabbath's Sabotage) helps pack it up nicely but it's Arno's talent that inhabits this electric feast and turns it into a work of Art. Not an easy one for sure, but certainly an album which will put a few smiles on a few faces.

1. Meet the Freaks
2. A Eux Je Montre Mon Derrière
3. I Couldn't Get Up
4. Hot Head
5. Freddy
6. The Smell of Roses
7. Watch Out Boy
8. Chicken Song
9. What the F. Is Going'on
10. I Am Still Allright
11. Rock Them Out
12. Women Beat
13. Mathilda

NOWHERE MEN TOO

NOWHERE MEN TOO
RARE BRITISH BEAT 64-67 (1964/67)
320 KBPS

A tasty compilation of rare brit EP's from the sixties. Including Robert Plant & John Bonham's recording debut with the Band of Joy and Rory Gallagher's Taste. A nice way to remember how dominant the british scene was and why it invaded the USA. The sound is a litlle raw around the edges but the music featured here is just too good to let that minor downside put you off.

1. The Dee Jays "You Must Be Joking"
2. The Dee Jays "Dimples"
3. Miki Dallon & The Sorrows "I'll Give You Love"
4. Miki Dallon & The Sorrows "Care About You"
5. The Muleskinners "Back Door Man"
6. The Muleskinners "Need Your Lovin'"
7. Jimmy Winston & His Reflections "Sorry She's Mine"
8. Jimmy Winston & His Reflections "It's Not What You Do"
9. The Tales Of The City "Crawling Up a Hill"
10. The Tales Of The City "The Good's Gone"
11. Taste "Born on the Wrong Side of Town" (feat. Rory Gallagher)
12. Taste "Blister on the Moon" (feat. Rory Gallagher)
13. The Band Of Joy "Long Time Coming" (feat. Robert Plant & John Bonham)
14. The Band Of Joy "I've Got a Secret" (feat. Robert Plant & John Bonham)
15. The Fairies "Anything at All"
16. The Fairies "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright"
17. The Fairies "Get Yourself Home"
18. The Fairies "I'll Dance"
19. The Fairies "Don't Mind"
20. The Fairies "Baby Don't"

KEATS

KEATS
KEATS (1984)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Keats was an Alan Parsons Project offshoot featuring vocalist Colin Blunstone, guitarist Ian Bairnson, bassist David Paton, and drummer Stuart Elliott, as well as Camel keyboardist Pete Bardens, who achieved success later with new age albums. Parsons produced Keats, but the songs are slicker than the more musically and lyrically adventurous Alan Parsons Project albums. That's saying something considering the highly polished sonic glaze Parsons gave his own work. Highlights include "Heaven Knows," "Fight to Win," and "Walking on Ice."

1. Heaven Knows
2. Tragedy
3. Fight to Win
4. Walking on Ice
5. How Can You Walk Away
6. Turn Your Heart Around
7. Avalanche
8. Give It Up
9. Ask No Questions
10. Night Full of Voices
11. Hollywood Heart
12. Interview with Alan Parsons and Ian Bairnson

T. REX

T. REX
ELECTRIC WARRIOR (1971)
320 KBPS

The album that essentially kick-started the U.K. glam rock craze, Electric Warrior completes T. Rex's transformation from hippie folk-rockers into flamboyant avatars of trashy rock & roll. There are a few vestiges of those early days remaining in the acoustic-driven ballads, but Electric Warrior spends most of its time in a swinging, hip-shaking groove powered by Marc Bolan's warm electric guitar. The music recalls not just the catchy simplicity of early rock & roll, but also the implicit sexuality — except that here, Bolan gleefully hauls it to the surface, singing out loud what was once only communicated through the shimmying beat. He takes obvious delight in turning teenage bubblegum rock into campy sleaze, not to mention filling it with pseudo-psychedelic hippie poetry. In fact, Bolan sounds just as obsessed with the heavens as he does with sex, whether he's singing about spiritual mysticism or begging a flying saucer to take him away. It's all done with the same theatrical flair, but Tony Visconti's spacious, echoing production makes it surprisingly convincing. Still, the real reason Electric Warrior stands the test of time so well — despite its intended disposability — is that it revels so freely in its own absurdity and willful lack of substance. Not taking himself at all seriously, Bolan is free to pursue whatever silly wordplay, cosmic fantasies, or non sequitur imagery he feels like; his abandonment of any pretense to art becomes, ironically, a statement in itself. Bolan's lack of pomposity, back-to-basics songwriting, and elaborate theatrics went on to influence everything from hard rock to punk to new wave. But in the end, it's that sense of playfulness, combined with a raft of irresistible hooks, that keeps Electric Warrior such an infectious, invigorating listen today.

1. Mambo Sun
2. Cosmic Dancer
3. Jeepster
4. Monolith
5. Lean Woman Blues
6. Bang a Gong (Get It On)
7. Planet Queen
8. Girl
9. The Motivator
10. Life's a Gas
11. Rip Off

THE HOLLIES

THE HOLLIES
BUTTERFLY (1967)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

This is final full LP by the Graham Nash lineup. Although it has its flaws, it is fair to call this album a masterpiece. The title track is probably Graham Nash's greatest; certainly nothing he did with the Americans ever bettered it. This is a big production psychedelic album, as can be seen with the likes of "Charlie & Fred," the ersatz Eastern "Maker" and giant Joe Meek-esque balladry of "Would You Believe?" However, there is also great Hollies pop rock with "Dear Eloise," "Step Inside" (which should have been a single)and "Postcard." Gripes? I wish there was a bit more electric guitar. The two silly tracks are "Try It" and "Elevated Observations," where they blather about "the astral plane" and promise that "you'll find your head." It is amusing how Bernie Calvert imitates the bass guitar style of the Byrds' Chris Hillman on "Observations." If you like "King Midas in Reverse," get this album.

Mono
1. Dear Eloise
2. Away Away Away
3. Maker
4. Pegasus
5. Would You Believe
6. Wishyouawish
7. Postcard
8. Charlie and Fred
9. Try It
10. Elevated Observations?
11. Step Inside
12. Butterfly
Stereo
13. Dear Eloise
14. Away Away Away
15. Maker
16. Pegasus
17. Would You Believe
18. Wishyouawish
19. Postcard
20. Charlie and Fred
21. Try It
22. Elevated Observations?
23. Step Inside
24. Butterfly

LOUIS BERTIGNAC

LOUIS BERTIGNAC
LIVE (1998)
320 KBPS

Ex-Téléphone's axeman, Louis Bertignac never quite had the success he deserved as a solo artist. After two albums with his post-Téléphone band (Bertignac et les Visiteurs) and two solo albums which, if they weren't bad, certainly didn't demonstrate the furious performer Louis is on stage, he finally delivers something worth of his talent. This 1998 live album, produced by Chris Kimsey (Rolling Stones, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Marillion, Duran Duran, Peter Frampton, etc.), is here to give Louis' songs a new life. Surrounded by a band of top notch intrumentalists, he proves to all those who doubted his aptitude to make it as a solo artist that he's a real live beast. Selecting songs from his previous band (2000 Nuits, Cendrillon), his solo career and spicing up the selection with a few classics (Muddy Waters Blues, Sympathy for the Devil, Wild Thing, etc.) he offers us a great double live album, one that the fans of (classic) rock ought to themselves not to miss.

Disc 1
1. Vas-Y Guitare
2. Pas Cassé
3. Days of 96
4. Pluie De Blues
5. Maguy T'Arrache Pas
6. Oubliez Moi
7. Sniper
8. Je N'Veux Plus T'Attendre
9. Cendrillon - Version 97
10. Le Vent Viendra
11. (Sittin'On) The Dock Of The Bay
12. Muddy waters blues

Disc 2
1. Jack
2. Sympathy For The Devil
3. Hey Jude - Reprise Sympathy
4. Love In Vain
5. Girls From The North Country
6. Telle Est Ma Vie
7. 2000 Nuits
8. Coeur Ouvert
9. Flipper
10. Hygiaphone
11. Wild thing
12. Ces Idées-Là