Apr 30, 2015

RhoDeo 1517 Goldy Rhox 207

Hello, today the 207th post of GoldyRhox, classic pop rock in the darklight are a British rock supergroup power trio consisting of bassist/singer Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist/singer Eric Clapton. Their unique sound was characterized by a hybrid of blues rock, hard rock and psychedelic rock, combining psychedelia themes, Clapton's blues guitar playing, Bruce's powerful, versatile vocals and prominent bass playing, Baker's pulsating, jazz-influenced drumming and Pete Brown's poetry-inspired lyrics. The group's third album, today's mystery album, was the world's first platinum-selling double album. The band is widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup. In their career, they sold over 15 million albums worldwide. Their music included songs based on traditional blues such as "Crossroads" and "Spoonful", and modern blues such as "Born Under a Bad Sign", as well as more eccentric songs such as "Strange Brew", "Tales of Brave Ulysses" and "Toad".

The band's biggest hits are "I Feel Free" (UK, number 11), "Sunshine of Your Love" (US, number 5), "White Room" (US, number 6), "Crossroads" (US, number 28), and "Badge" (UK, number 18).[10] The band made a significant impact on the popular music of the time, and, along with Jimi Hendrix, and Terry Kath of Chicago, popularised the use of the wah-wah pedal. They provided a heavy yet technically proficient musical theme that foreshadowed and influenced the emergence of British bands such as Led Zeppelin, The Jeff Beck Group and Black Sabbath in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. The band's live performances influenced progressive rock acts such as Rush. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. They were included in both Rolling Stone and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," at number 67 and 61 respectively.

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.

Today's mystery album is the 3rd album by our mystery group, released on 9 August 1968, it topped the American charts. Still a relative novelty, the "double album" of two LP discs was well suited to extended solos. The albums studio recordings showcased the band moving slightly away from the blues and more towards a semi-progressive rock style highlighted by odd time signatures and various orchestral instruments. However, the band did record Howlin' Wolf's "Sitting on Top of the World" and Albert King's "Born Under a Bad Sign". According to a BBC interview with Clapton, the record company, also handling Albert King, asked the band to cover "Born Under a Bad Sign", which became a popular track off the record. The opening song, "White Room", became a radio staple. Another song, "Politician", was written by the band while waiting to perform live at the BBC. The album's second disc featured three live recordings from the Winterland Ballroom and one from the Fillmore. Clapton's second solo from "Crossroads" has made it to the top 20 in multiple "greatest guitar solo" lists.

The band's drummer Ginger Baker co-wrote three songs for the album with pianist Mike Taylor. Bassist Jack Bruce co-wrote four songs with poet Pete Brown. Guitarist Eric Clapton contributed to the album by choosing two cover songs. For the second live disc Felix Pappalardi chose "Traintime" because it featured Jack Bruce performing a harmonica solo, and "Toad" because it features Ginger Baker's drumming while "Spoonful" and "Crossroads" were used to showcase Eric Clapton's guitar-playing.

It reached #3 in the United Kingdom and #1 in the United States, becoming the first platinum-selling double album.[7] In 2003 it was ranked number 203 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The artwork for the album was by Martin Sharp who had also done the artwork for their previous album. Here to get, it's 13 (176.4kHz/24bit transferred from DSD at Universal Music Studios, Tokyo, 2013. High-Resolution cutting from 176.4kHz/24bit at Victor Creative Media, 2013).remaster..N'Joy


Goldy Rhox 207   (flac 633mb)

Goldy Rhox 207    (ogg 249mb)


***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Apr 29, 2015

RhoDeo 1517 Aetix

Hello, once again there's a new Shriekback album out Without Real String or Fish' for sale at their website(via Paypal) , diverse formats and more remastered albums to be had there

Also , check out this slightly ironic single Now Those Days Are Gone




Today an American rock band formed in Ellensburg, Washington in 1985 by vocalist Mark Lanegan, guitarist Gary Lee Conner, bass player Van Conner and drummer Mark Pickerel. Pickerel had been replaced by Barrett Martin by the time the band reached its most successful period. Although widely associated with grunge, the band's sound incorporated hard rock and psychedelic elements. Since its formation, Screaming Trees released seven studio albums, five EPs and three compilations......Something to  N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Where many of their Seattle-based contemporaries dealt in reconstructed Black Sabbath and Stooges riffs, Screaming Trees fused '60s psychedelia and garage rock with '70s hard rock and '80s punk. Over the course of their career, their more abrasive punk roots eventually gave way to a hard-edged, rootsy psychedelia that drew from rock and folk equally. After releasing several albums on indie labels like SST and Sub Pop, Screaming Trees moved to Epic Records in 1989. Though they were one of the first Seattle bands to sign with a major label, the group never attained the popularity of fellow Northwestern bands (and friends) like Nirvana and Soundgarden, largely due to their erratic work schedule. Throughout their career, the Trees were notorious for drinking and fighting, which caused them to break up briefly at several points in their career. Nevertheless, the band managed to cultivate a dedicated following, which included not only fans, but also fellow musicians. Brothers Van Conner (bass) and Gary Lee Conner (guitar) formed Screaming Trees with Mark Lanegan (vocals) in the mid-'80s. Lanegan and the Conners grew up in Ellensburg, WA, a small college-town some 90 miles from Seattle. The trio were the only people in their high school who listened to punk, garage rock, and independent music, so they eventually gravitated toward each other. After falling out with the Conners before either completed school, Lanegan contacted Van Conner several years later. By that point, Van had a band with a singer named Mark Pickerel; the pair had recently kicked Lee Conner out of the band, so they invited Lanegan to sit in on drums. Eventually, Lee re-joined the group and they settled on a lineup that featured Lee on guitar, Van on bass, Lanegan on vocals, and Pickerel on drums.

Taking their name from a guitar distortion pedal, Screaming Trees recorded their first demo tape in 1985, just a few months after their formation. Their producer, Steve Fisk, was able to convince the head of Velvetone Studios to release an album by the band, The result, Clairvoyance, appeared on Velvetone Records in 1986. With Clairvoyance in hand, Fisk was able to secure Screaming Trees a contract with Greg Ginn's SST Records, who had already been releasing albums by Fisk. The band's first SST album, Even If and Especially When, was released in 1987 and the Trees began working the dying American indie circuit, playing shows across the country. The following year, SST reissued the band's demo tape under the title Other Worlds as well as their third album, Invisible Lantern.

Following the release of Buzz Factory in 1989, the group's contract with SST expired and they made the Change Has Come EP for Sub Pop early the following year. By that time, tensions in the band had grown somewhat, and the group spent most of 1990 working on side projects. Mark Lanegan recorded a solo album, The Winding Sheet, which featured support from Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic; the album appeared on Sub Pop. Both of the Conners formed new bands and released albums on the SST subsidiary New Alliance. Van's band was called Solomon Grundy; Lee's was Purple Outside. By the end of 1990, the band had signed a major-label contract with Epic Records.

Screaming Trees reconvened to record their Epic debut, Uncle Anesthesia, with Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Terry Date as producers. Uncle Anesthesia appeared in early 1991 and, although it sold better than their previous efforts, the band remained a cult act. For much of the year, in fact, Van Conner was on hiatus from the band, choosing to tour as bassist with Dinosaur Jr. instead. Late in 1991, Nirvana's Nevermind became an unexpected commercial success, opening the gates for the rest of the Seattle scene. Where many of their peers were able to capitalize on that success, Screaming Trees suffered more setbacks than the rest. Before they began work on their follow-up to Uncle Anesthesia, Pickerel left the group and was replaced by Barrett Martin.

Once Martin joined, the band finished "Nearly Lost You," their contribution to the Singles soundtrack, and their 1992 album Sweet Oblivion. "Nearly Lost You" became a MTV and alternative radio hit in the fall of 1992, thanks to the momentum of the Singles soundtrack. The single carried Sweet Oblivion -- which had received more press attention than any previous Screaming Trees album -- to the group's strongest sales, peaking at over 300,000 copies. The band supported Sweet Oblivion with a year-long tour, during which they fought frequently. After the tour was finished, the group decided to take an extended hiatus. During that time, Lanegan recorded his second solo album, Whiskey for the Holy Ghost, which was released in 1994. That same year, Martin drummed in the Layne Staley (Alice in Chains) and Mike McCready (Pearl Jam) side project Mad Season, which released its only album in the spring of 1995.

In early 1995, Screaming Trees regrouped to begin work on their follow-up to Sweet Oblivion. Following one still-born attempt at the album, the band hired George Drakoulias, who had previously worked with the Black Crowes and the Jayhawks, as producer. The resulting album, Dust, was released in the summer of 1996, nearly four years after its predecessor. Dust was greeted with positive reviews, and its first single, "All I Know," became a moderate hit on modern rock radio. Still, the album didn't sell particularly well, even though the band supported the record by touring with 1996's Lollapalooza. Following the Dust tour, Screaming Trees took another hiatus, with Lanegan beginning work on his third solo album, Scraps at Midnight, which was released in 1998. When Lanegan completed another solo project the following year (I'll Take Care of You), it seemed to confirm that the Trees' strained relationships would make it impossible for the band to continue. Following a June 25, 2000, concert to celebrate the opening Seattle's Experience Music Project, the group unsurprisingly announced their official breakup. 2005's Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1989-1996 gathered highlights from the band's Epic years, and included two previously unreleased tracks.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Screaming Trees' full-length debut is a surprisingly accomplished affair. Unlike many Northwest acts of the time, it doesn't seem to be haunted by the ghosts of the Stooges or the MC5, instead the Doors, perhaps, or possibly even the Teardrop Explodes (Mark Lanegan's deep voice is somewhat reminiscent of Jim Morrison or Julian Cope, but with a slight twang). The one contemporary act they most closely resembled at this point in their career would have to be Norman, OK's the Flaming Lips, another gang of iconoclasts who released their first EP in 1985 and first full-length (Hear It Is) the following year. They were neither fish nor fowl -- not exactly punk and not exactly grunge. Like the Flaming Lips, Screaming Trees weren't '60s throwbacks either, despite the occasional tambourine or organ flourish. The album starts off with the bang of the Thirteenth Floor Elevatorsish "Orange Airplane," which bears the unmistakable stamp of producer Steve Fisk (Pell Mell, Pigeonhed). A child yells the title over and over again as Screaming Trees plunge into a neo-psychedelic rave-up over and around it. The combination of sampling and garage rock works better than it should. "Standing on the Edge" is another standout track with a seductive hook and slow buildup in intensity. Gary Lee Conner's guitar playing has a Middle Eastern feel throughout (à la the Doors' "The End"). Some of the other numbers are a little on the dull side ("I See Stars," "Lonely Girl"), but for the most part, Clairvoyance proves that Screaming Trees would merely be refining -- not developing -- their sound during their higher-profile years on SST and later Epic. Although it doesn't feature any songs quite as catchy as "Something About Today" or "Nearly Lost You" (from their major-label sojourn), this release reveals a band who didn't have far to go to get there.



Screaming Trees - Clairvoyance  (flac 242mb)

01 Orange Airplane 2:59
02 You Tell Me All These Things 2:11
03 Standing On The Edge 5:38
04 Forever 4:21
05 Seeing And Believing 3:32
06 I See Stars 4:31
07 Lonely Girl 3:06
08 Strange Out Here 4:27
09 Turning 2:42
10 Clairvoyance 4:05

 Screaming Trees - Clairvoyance  (ogg 91mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

On Screaming Trees' third full-length release, Invisible Lantern, the band further refined their early psychedelic garage sound. The group had become a bona fide cult success by the time of this release, but the indie scene was losing steam and this disc (while superior to earlier efforts) didn't garner enough critical or commercial attention to move the band into mainstream awareness. The music of Invisible Lantern is spirited and raw -- a swirling garage pop that, while repetitive, has a character all its own. Looking back, fans will notice that singer Mark Lanegan still hadn't found his unique tonality that listeners most familiar with the group's one and only radio hit (1992's "Nearly Lost You") might recognize. Besides the unrealized potential of Lanegan's performances, this early-career release suffers a little from meandering song structures and other sonic deficiencies that the band eventually overcame. That's not to say that there aren't plenty of fine moments on Invisible Lantern. The hypnotic pop of the record's first six tracks is best represented on "Lines and Circles" and "Ivy" -- trippy cuts with interesting lyrics and arrangements. Other straight-ahead tracks like "Walk Through to This Side" and "Night Comes Creeping" provide a nice contrast and energy. Indie fans (resentful of the post-Nirvana Seattle revolution) tend to ignore Screaming Trees' later material in favor of earlier offerings like this one. But to unbiased listeners, it might appear that the group simply had two incarnations, the second of which was perhaps more mature. Ultimately, there are as many perspectives on this issue as there are fans and critics. No matter how one interprets the arc of Screaming Trees' career, however, Invisible Lantern stands as a solid offering to the waning indie rock movement.



Screaming Trees - Invisible Lantern  (flac 236mb)

01 Ivy 3:16
02 Walk Through To This Side 2:32
03 Lines & Circles 3:45
04 She Knows 2:15
05 Shadow Song 4:15
06 Grey Diamond Desert 4:22
07 Smokerings 3:43
08 The Second I Awake 2:59
09 Invisible Lantern 3:02
10 Even If 3:48
11 Direction Of The Sun  2:53
12 Night Comes Creeping 3:53

Screaming Trees - Invisible Lantern  (ogg 79mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Buzz Factory would mark the Screaming Trees' final recording for SST, but not their last stand as independent recording artists. They would follow up by spending some quality time with Seattle indie Sub Pop, prior to the release of their Epic debut, Uncle Anesthesia, two years later. Produced by the Trees and Jack Endino (Superfuzz Bigmuff, Bleach), Buzz Factory lives up to its title with buzz aplenty courtesy Gary Lee Conner's muscular guitar playing. The album is a solid (if not spectacular) send-off, which should come as little surprise -- history will remember the Trees as one of the Northwest's most consistent bands. If they never had a hit on par with Nevermind, nor did they ever release any lackluster (or uncharacteristic) recordings in a career that spanned over 15 years. Opening track "Where the Twain Shall Meet" and "Black Sun Morning" are two of the strongest selections. The latter doesn't just have a Soundgarden-style title -- á la "Black Hole Sun" -- but even sounds somewhat like that hard rockin' Seattle quartet (also aligned with SST at the time), which is to say it is more anthemic than usual. A sample from an interview briefing is slipped between "Yard Trip #7" and "Flower Web" ("The question will be what kind of trees you are; the answer will be 'Screaming Trees'").



Screaming Trees - Buzz Factory (flac 245mb)

01 Where The Twain Shall Meet 3:29
02 Windows 2:42
03 Black Sun Morning 5:03
04 Too Far Away 3:37
05 Subtle Poison 3:53
06 Yard Trip #7 2:24
07 Flower Web 3:41
08 Wish Bringer 3:06
09 Revelation Revolution 2:43
10 The Looking Glass Cracked 3:36
11 End Of The Universe 6:11

Screaming Trees - Buzz Factory (ogg 87mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Oops an extra tree

After a career with independent label SST, the Screaming Trees arrived at Epic Records with little fanfare (and would leave in much the same way) with 1991's Uncle Anesthesia. Produced by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and metal specialist Terry Date, the album lurches to its feet on the military shuffle of "Beyond This Horizon." Despite offering a few glimpses of the group's punkier side -- "Story of Her Fate," "Alice Said," "Time for Light" -- most of the material emphasizes the Trees' mellower inclinations. As its title and disturbing, Alice in Wonderland-inspired cover artwork would suggest, the album also finds the band delving deeper and deeper into their psychedelic tendencies. Gary Lee Conner's lysergic guitar textures gently frame Mark Lanegan's rough, whiskey-drenched vocals on such highlights as the title track, "Caught Between," and "Something About Today." And while "Bed of Roses" and "Lay Your Head Down" betray a strong R.E.M. influence, songs like "Before We Arise," "Closer," and "Disappearing" (with its Mexican funeral horn section) possess a sense of despair and hopelessness that only Lanegan's voice can convey. The last album to feature original drummer Mark Pickerel, Uncle Anesthesia also set the stage for the band's breakthrough, Sweet Oblivion.



Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia (flac 302mb)

01 Beyond This Horizon 4:13
02 Bed Of Roses 3:02
03 Uncle Anesthesia 3:52
04 Story Of Her Fate 1:41
05 Caught Between 5:03
06 Lay Your Head Down 3:32
07 Before We Arise 2:26
08 Something About Today 3:02
09 Alice Said 4:11
10 Time For Light 3:50
11 Disappearing 3:12
12 Ocean Of Confusion 3:05
13 Closer 5:48

Screaming Trees - Uncle Anesthesia (ogg 113mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 27, 2015

RhoDeo 1517 Empire Strikes 07

Hello, missed most of the sports action today, watched some snooker but have to say matches that could take 25 frames aren't very interesting mainly because once the score reaches 9-4 these pro's will win the match even if it takes 2 more hours. Anyway most top acts are through to the quarter finals apart from last years winner..Anyway i predict a Robertson-O'Sullivan final. Meanwhile black men from west Africa keep on coming this way lured by the many dumb blondes in Europe, the social security (free money /housing) you really can't blame them, and after all back home momma has enough sons left.. Another case are the war refugees or Islam breeders as all they seem to do is breed more kids they can't feed or school and meanwhile Allah this and that, yeah right but your socalled muslim brothers don't care if you live or die. No those leftwing bleeding hearts are trying to tell is we must help, yeah right raise more snakes. but hey we've seen the EU in action sevral times now in this past decade and eveytime those amateurs managed to make a bigger mess i'd say away with Brussels !


This week the Empire will Strike Back !

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...................

At first, the idea seems bizarre, even ridiculous. Star Wars, a movie best known for its vistas of alien worlds and epic battles, as a 13 part radio drama? Well, unless you have the cold heart of a Sith, Star Wars did indeed translate well from the silver screen to radio, thank you very much. Yes, Star Wars' visual effects are a big part of the magic of the saga, but the heart and soul of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away are the characters and the storyline. And while the movie is satisfying on its own, the radio dramatization written by the late Brian Daley takes us beyond the movie....beyond the screenplay...and even beyond the novelization.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This landmark production, perhaps the most ambitious radio project ever attempted, began when Star Wars creator George Lucas donated the story rights to an NPR affiliate. Writer Brian Daley adapted the film's highly visual script to the special demands and unique possibilities of radio, creating a more richly textured tale with greater emphasis on character development. The success of the first series led to a 10-part, four hour 15 minute series based on the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, again written by Daley and directed by Madden. The series debuted on NPR on February 14, 1983.

Like the preceding series, The Empire Strikes Back expands on the movie's story by incorporating new scenes. Examples include an Imperial attack on a Rebel convoy set before the film's opening scene and a tense conversation between Solo and Skywalker while the two are stranded in the Hoth wastelands.

National Public Radio's promoted the series in part by getting Craig Claiborne to create his version of Yoda's rootleaf recipe, which the Jedi Master serves Luke in the hut on Dagobah. The recipe ran in magazines and newspapers across the country.
Billy Dee Williams reprised Lando Calrissian, and John Lithgow played Yoda at the same time Madden was directing Lithgow in the play Beyond Therapy. Hamill and Daniels returned to voice Skywalker and C-3PO.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

It was recorded in 1982 at A&R Studios, New York City

With among others:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Perry King as Han Solo
Ann Sachs as Princess Leia Organa
Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
Bernard Behrens as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Brock Peters as Lord Darth Vader
John Lithgow as Yoda
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
James Eckhouse as Beta
Peter Friedman as Dak
Ron Frazier as Deck Officer
Merwin Goldsmith as General Rieekan
Peter Michael Goetz as Ozzel
Gordon Gould as Veers
Paul Hecht as The Emperor
Russell Horton as 2-1B
James Hurdle as Controller
Nicholas Kepros as Needa
David Rasche as Piett
Alan Rosenberg as Boba Fett
Jay O. Sanders as Imperial Pilot
Don Scarino as Wedge
Ken Hiller as Narrator


The Empire Strikes Back 07 New Allies (mp3  25mb)

207 New Allies 27:38


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

previously

The Empire Strikes Back 06 Way Of The Jedi (mp3  25mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 05 Millennium Falcon Pursuit (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 04 Fire And Ice (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 03 A Question Of Survival (mp3  23mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 02 The Coming Storm (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 01 Freedom's Winter (mp3  24mb)

A New Hope 101 A Wind to Shake the Stars (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 102 Points of Origin (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 103 Black Knight, White Princess (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 104 While Giants Mark Time (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 105 Jedi That Was Jedi To Be (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 106 The Millenium Falcon Deal (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 107 The Han Solo Solution (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 108 Death Star's Transit (mp3 26mb)
A New Hope 109 Rogues, Rebels And Robots (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 110 The Luke Skywalker Initiative (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 111 The Jedi Nexus (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 112 The Case For Rebellion (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 113 Force And Counter Force (mp3  25mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 26, 2015

Sundaze 1517

Hello, ok so Sundaze isn't just easy listening as the coming weeks will show, when it's all about the voice....

Today's scene is set for an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. Since the 1960s, she has created multi-disciplinary works which combine music, theatre, and dance, recording extensively for ECM Records.... N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Meredith Monk (b. November 20, 1942, New York, NY) is a composer, singer, director/choreographer and creator of new opera, music-theater works, films and installations. A pioneer in what is now called "extended vocal technique" and "interdisciplinary performance," Monk creates works that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound in an effort to discover and weave together new modes of perception. Her groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument, as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words. Over the last fifty years, she has been hailed as "a magician of the voice" and "one of America’s coolest composers". Celebrated internationally, Monk’s work has been presented by BAM, Lincoln Center Festival, Houston Grand Opera, London’s Barbican Centre, and at major venues in countries from Brazil to Syria. Among her many accolades, she was recently named an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Republic of France, and the 2012 Composer of the Year by Musical America. Monk is also one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices, and has received a 2012 Doris Duke Artist Award and a 2011 Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Award for the Arts.

In 1968 Ms. Monk founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. In 1978 she founded Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble to expand her musical textures and forms. As a pioneer in site-specific performance, she has created such works as Juice: A Theatre Cantata In 3 Installments (1969) and Ascension Variations (2009) for the Guggenheim Museum, and American Archeology #1: Roosevelt Island (1994). Monk’s award-winning films, including Ellis Island (1981) and her first feature, Book of Days (1988), have been seen throughout the world. Her music can also be heard in films by such directors as Jean-Luc Godard and the Coen Brothers, and in the recent HBO series, True Detective. In addition to her numerous vocal pieces, music-theater works and operas, Monk has created vital new repertoire for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, with commissions from Michael Tilson Thomas/San Francisco Symphony and New World Symphony, Kronos Quartet, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Master Chorale, among others.

Since graduating Sarah Lawrence College in 1964, Monk has received numerous honors including the prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Award, two Guggenheim Fellowships, three "Obies" (including an award for Sustained Achievement), and two "Bessie" awards for Sustained Creative Achievement. She holds honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard College, the University of the Arts, The Juilliard School, the San Francisco Art Institute and the Boston Conservatory. Monk has made more than a dozen recordings, most of which are on the ECM New Series label, including the 2008 Grammy-nominated impermanence and the highly acclaimed Songs of Ascension. She has also been working with the publisher Boosey & Hawkes since 2001.

In October 1999 Monk performed A Vocal Offering for His Holiness, the Dalai Lama as part of the World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles. Her 40th year of performing and creating new music was celebrated in 2005 by a four-hour marathon at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, with additional performances throughout New York City. In February 2012 she was honored with a remix and interpretations cd, MONK MIX, featuring 25 artists from the jazz, pop, dj and new music worlds. In March 2012, she premiered Realm Variations for six voices and small ensemble, commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony, and performed in John Cage’s Song Books as part of the Symphony’s American Mavericks Festival. Monk’s newest music-theater piece, On Behalf of Nature, premiered in January 2013 at UCLA and is currently touring internationally. This fall, Meredith Monk will mark her 50th season as a creator and performer. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of her generation, she has been appointed the 2014-2015 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall.


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Meredith Monk’s third album marks a massive leap forward in terms of quality and creates a sanctuary where her eccentric vocalism becomes harmonious and impressive enough to be approachable in a less unconventional sense. Our introduction comes in the form of an appropriately named track called Lullaby. Completely unobscured by instrumentation or eccentric vocal play, this is the first time we hear Monk’s voice in serene and captivating solitude to fully realize its beauty.

The subsequent tracks bring back the underlying theatricality of Monk’s debut album; her morose, desperate laments are re-invented with a more pleasing and emotionally effective result. Although these songs seem obviously centered around characters and narratives conjured by their creator, the lack of words allows the listener to interpret Monk’s imagined language in any way deemed appropriate based on the moods and emotions conveyed. For the first time the universal and timeless quality of her work is revealed in its entirety; a person from any era and any country could listen to her singing and draw his own conclusions hindered by neither time nor geography, which is doubtlessly the most persuasive appeal of her creativity.

Another exposed virtue in Monk’s artistry is the sheer diversity that found its way into the record. The theatrical songs are followed by the charming and playful Wa-Lie-Oh which in turn is replaced by a track where the repeated sounds of an insect are mimicked thoroughly. Imitations of nature return later on in Prarie Ghost which is preceded by one of the few tracks featuring an instrument besides the human voice: Jew’s harp.

Everything fades in comparison, however, to the massive and almost overwhelming finale. Tablet begins in a disorientating and bizarre attack on your eardrums before soothing piano-play conquers the scene. Eventually Monk’s trademark wailing enters the mix, albeit more composed and subdued than usual. Her voice expands and retracts between different sounds whilst a sporadic flute adds to the unusually prominent instrumentation. The pattern remains more or less unchanged until Monk’s voice is abandoned by all accompaniments and left to reign in complete solitude. Once the piano returns Monk is joined by a set of other voices that harmonize in unity, respond to each other and evolve back and forth from enhancing one another to desperately competing for attention. Monk’s enigmatic language, her theatrical way of conjuring images as well as emotions and the full capacity and range of her vocalism; all of the admirable traits that originally made her a force to be reckoned with are fully captured and perfectly accentuated throughout this beautiful and choral masterpiece.



Meredith Monk - Songs From The Hill/Tablet (flac 193mb)

Songs From The Hill
01 Lullaby 1:39
02 Mesa 2:05
03 Jade (Old Woman's Song) 2:25
04 Wa-lie-oh 3:45
05 Insect 1:51
06 Descending 1:45
07 Silo 2:13
08 Bird Code 1:49
09 Jew's Harp 2:26
10 Prairie Ghost 5:36
 Tablet
11 Tablet 23:05

Meredith Monk - Songs From The Hill/Tablet  (ogg 98mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Meredith Monk has such a wonderful and unique vocal style that she is able to sing in complete abstraction (no known words or language for much of the album) yet maintain a very emotional and even sentimental quality in these abstractions, at times. Listeners who can get past just how unique and abstract her approach is will find immense joy and sadness deep within her pieces. On Dolmen Music, Monk wavers from being sad to the point of being quite morose (such as the tracks "Gotham Lullaby" and "The Tale") to being happy to the point of hysteria (as on "Traveling" and "Biography") without skipping a beat. Most of the musical accompaniment is minimalist (mainly piano with occasional, sparse percussion, guest vocalists also being prominent on the final six-part track "Dolmen Music"). This minimalist support only furthers Monk's vast vocal language as the prominent focus in the recordings. Listeners will also be very pleased to find that her wonderful voice is not crowded or overshadowed. A true original, Monk's work should be sought by anyone with an interest in vocal exploration.



Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music  (ogg 224mb)

01 Gotham Lullaby 4:15
02 Travelling 6:15
03 The Tale 2:47
04 Biography 9:24
05  Dolmen Music 23:39
5a Overture And Men's Conclave
5b Wa-Ohs
5c Rain
5d One Tree Lullaby
5e Calls
5f Conclusion

Meredith Monk - Dolmen Music  (ogg 100mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A daring display of vocal gymnastics and a journey back to childhood when all sounds were wondrous, Turtle Dreams includes the title track composition for four voices (two men, two women) and four organs as well as shorter pieces featuring various combinations of voice, Casio, piano, miniMoog, and didgeridoo. Monk's work raises smiles as well as the hair on the back of the neck. Here she seems tapped into some primordial force -- humming, babbling, chattering, all set to looping, funereal organ works of chromatic simplicity. Mesmerizing yet never mechanical, the side-long "Turtle Dreams" and "View 1" derive their pleasures from the infinite sounds of the human voice. The entire album accompanied a multimedia work where Monk and three other singer/dancers were intercut with shots of a turtle walking over various terrains (including miniature cities, looking like a monster movie). Comforting thoughts during any listen.



Monk Meredith - Turtle Dreams  (flac  159mb)

01 Turtle Dreams (Waltz) 17:52
02 View 1 10:13
03 Engine Steps 2:03
04 Ester's Song 1:14
05 View 2 6:02

Monk Meredith - Turtle Dreams  (ogg 75mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This release features song excerpts from various long-form theater pieces, the first four coming from Meredith Monk's theater piece Acts From Under and Above, and these are the most jarring on the record. "Scared Song" features English lyrics, minimal accompaniment, and Monk singing harsh, abrasive "scared" sounds. Very unsettling -- and perhaps that is the intention. "Do You Be," a selection from her opera Vessel, features Monk solo on piano and voice with a shrill, piercing wail. Very satisfying. Additional selections from Vessel appear on Monk's 1992 recording Facing North. With one exception, the remaining tracks come from a Monk/Ping Chong science fiction epic opera called The Games, and these more diverse, more exploratory pieces really make the collection work as a recording. A casual listener unfamiliar with the theater pieces may well be put off by the abrasiveness of the first four tracks, which may unfortunately be enough to deter them from the remainder of the recording. But beyond some questionable programming choices, fans of her work will be delighted to see her continuing development as a recording artist.



Meredith Monk - Do You Be  (flac  176mb)

01 Scared Song 6:04
02 I Don't Know 3:31
03 Window In 7's 2:12
04 Double Fiesta 5:21
05 Do You Be 4:02
06 Panda Chant I 1:56
07 Memory Song 6:40
08 Panda Chant II 1:35
09 Quarry Lullaby 2:00
10 Shadow Song 1:57
11 Astronaut Anthem 4:56
12 Wheel 3:40

Meredith Monk - Do You Be     (ogg 86mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 25, 2015

RhoDeo 1516 Grooves

Hello, well today's post was brought forward somewhat as the artist in question "kicked the bucket" last week, his megahit that overshadowed all his other work was a song about a man that looses it after falling in love, and although this sounds fine, it really isn't and guys in that mode are extremely irritating....

Today.an African American R&B, soul, gospel, and traditional pop singer. He is best known for the song "When a Man Loves a Woman", a No. 1 hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts in 1966. Having previously worked as a hospital orderly in the early 1960s, Sledge achieved his strongest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a series of emotional soul songs. In later years, Sledge received the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2005.. Here to,,,,,N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Percy Sledge will forever be associated with "When a Man Loves a Woman," a pleading, soulful ballad he sang with wrenching, convincing anguish and passion. Sledge sang all of his songs that way, delivering them in a powerful rush where he quickly changed from soulful belting to quavering, tearful pleas. It was a voice that made him one of the key figures of deep Southern soul. Sledge recorded at Muscle Shoals studios in Alabama, where he frequently sang songs written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn. Not only did he sing deep soul, but Sledge was among the pioneers of country-soul, singing songs by Charlie Rich and Kris Kristofferson in a gritty, passionate style. During the '70s, his commercial success faded away, but Sledge continued to tour and record into the '90s.

While he worked as a hospital nurse in the early '60s, Sledge began his professional music career as a member of the Southern soul vocal group the Esquires Combo. On the advice of local disc jockey Quin Ivy, he went solo in 1966. Ivy fancied himself a record producer and he agreed to help shape Sledge's song "When a Man Loves a Woman" into a full-fledged single, hiring Spooner Oldham to play a distinctive, legato organ phrase. Ivy released the single independently and quickly licensed it to Atlantic Records, who quickly bought out Sledge's contract. "When a Man Loves a Woman" became a huge hit in the summer of 1966, topping both the pop and R&B charts. It was quickly followed that year by two Top Ten R&B hits, "Warm and Tender Love" and "It Tears Me Up," which were both in the vein of his first hit. Although few of his subsequent singles were hits -- only "Take Time to Know Her" reached the R&B Top Ten in 1968 -- many of the songs, which were often written by Dan Penn and/or Oldham, were acknowledged as classics among soul aficionados.

Despite his strong reputation among deep soul fans, Sledge's sales had declined considerably by the early '70s, and he headed out on the club circuit in America and England. In 1974, he left Atlantic for Capricorn Records, where he returned to the R&B Top 20 with "I'll Be Your Everything." Instead of re-igniting his career, the single was a last gasp, as far as chart success was concerned. Over the next two decades he continued to tour, and in the late '80s "When a Man Loves a Woman" experienced a resurgence in popularity, due to its inclusion in movie soundtracks and in television commercials. Following its appearance in a 1987 Levi's commercial in the U.K., the single was re-released and climbed to number two. Two years later, he won the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's Career Achievement Award. Sledge was able to turn this revived popularity into a successful career by touring constantly, playing over 100 shows a year into the '90s. In 1994, he released Blue Night, his first collection of new material in over a decade, to uniformly positive reviews. It featured Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, and Mick Taylor among others. Blue Night received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album, Vocal or Instrumental, and in 1996 it won the W.C. Handy Award for best soul or blues album, after the turn of the millennium he returned with Shining Through the Rain in 2004. The following year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Sledge married twice and was survived by his second wife, Rosa Sledge, whom he married in 1980. He had 12 children, two of whom became singers. He died of liver cancer at his home in Baton Rouge on April 14, 2015 at the age of 74.His interment was in Baton Rouge's Heavenly Gates Cemetery.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

A country-soul masterpiece. The title track remains among the most beloved, anthemic explanations of love's impact and travails ever written or performed. Had Sledge never made another song, he would still deserve kudos just for that one. But he continued to score with more simple, heartfelt, unsophisticated stories about disappointment, pain, rejection, and perseverance.



Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman  (flac  181mb)

01 When A Man Loves A Woman 2:55
02 My Adorable One 2:42
03 Put A Little Lovin' On Me 2:43
04 Love Me All The Way 2:30
05 When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters) 2:32
06 You're Pouring Water On A Drowning Man 2:22
07 Thief In The Night 2:27
08 You Fooled Me 2:34
09 Love Makes The World Go Round 2:40
10 Success 3:00
11 Love Me Like You Mean It 2:26

Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman  (ogg  56mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

After "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Take Time to Know Her" was Percy Sledge's biggest hit, and it leads off this 1968 album from the great Southern soul singer. Like "When a Man Loves a Woman," "Take Time to Know Her" was a mid-tempo soul ballad in which Sledge tells a tale of love that hasn't gone quite the way one might wish, and this musical template dominates much of the album, though to his credit Sledge had a gift for bending songs to his style with such skill that he finds new paths even when he seems to be going in the same direction. Sledge does offer a few interesting change-ups on this album -- there's an insouciant edge to his cover of "Spooky," he edges into his falsetto register on "Come Softly to Me," sounds downright jaunty on "I Love Everything About You," and revels in a rare opportunity to rock the house on "Baby Help Me." But most of Take Time to Know Her is classic Percy Sledge, with the singer pouring out loss, hurt and pleas for mercy while a crack organ-led and horn-enhanced studio band stirs the soup behind him, and the results are a blessing to anyone who loves classic soul of the '60s. Sledge didn't have the broadest range, but it's hard to imagine anyone not being affected by the skill and emotional potency of his work, and this album captures him in excellent form.



Percy Sledge - Take Time To Know Her (flac 219mb)

01 Take Time To Know Her 2:55
02 Feed The Flame 2:20
03 Sudden Stop 2:45
04 Come Softly To Me 2:55
05 Spooky 2:50
06 Out Of Left Field 3:09
07 Cover Me 2:56
08 Baby Help Me 2:30
09 It's All Wrong But It's Alright 2:53
10 High Cost Of Leaving 3:00
11 Between These Arms 2:40
12 I Love Everything About You 2:15

Percy Sledge - Take Time To Know Her (ogg 161mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Percy Sledge's first single, "When a Man Loves a Woman," was an instant masterpiece of deep Southern soul, so powerful and so distinctive it made him a star overnight and helped to quickly establish Muscle Shoals, AL, as one of the major recording centers in the Southern music scene. However, "When a Man Loves a Woman" was such a big hit that it tended to overshadow everything else Percy Sledge did from that point onward; while he had a handful of smaller hits and still records and tours, few people outside of soul obsessives are aware of the full scope of his recording career. It Tears Me Up, a typically well-assembled compilation album from Rhino Records, features 23 songs Sledge cut for Atlantic during the 1960s and makes an excellent case for the consistent strength of Sledge's Atlantic catalog. While Sledge specialized in sad songs of love gone wrong, he certainly knew how to make the most of such material, and his stellar, heart-tugging performances of "Take Time to Know Her," "Warm and Tender Love," "It's All Wrong but It's Alright," and the title tune prove that Sledge had more than one brilliant performance in his repertoire. Great stuff, and certainly the best Percy Sledge collection available.



Percy Sledge - It Tears Me Up (flac 434mb)

01 When A Man Loves A Woman 2:53
02 I'm Hanging Up My Heart For You 2:38
03 Put A Little Lovin' On Me 2:43
04 Love Me Like You Mean It 2:27
05 It Tears Me Up 2:48
06 Warm And Tender Love 3:20
07 Love Me Tender 3:05
08 The Dark End Of The Street 2:45
09 Take Time To Know Her 3:02
10 Try A Little Tenderness 2:48
11 Bless Your Sweet Little Soul 3:01
12 True Love Travels On A Gravel Road 2:48
13 Sudden Stop 2:45
14 Stop The World Tonight 3:14
15 It's All Wrong But It's Alright 2:57
16 Drown In My Own Tears 4:01
17 Out Of Left Field 3:15
18 Kind Woman 4:40
19 Cover Me 3:00
20 That's The Way I Want To Live My Life 2:55
21 Push Mr. Pride Aside 3:23
22 It Can't Be Stopped 3:13
23 Rainbow Road 2:51

Percy Sledge - It Tears Me Up  (ogg 144mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 23, 2015

RhoDeo 1516 Goldy Rhox 206

Hello, today the 206th post of GoldyRhox, classic pop rock in the darklight are a British rock band that originally consisted of Pete Ham, Mike Gibbins, Tom Evans and Ron Griffiths. The band evolved from an earlier group called The Iveys that was formed in 1961 by Ham, Ron Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales. They were signed by the Beatles' Apple label in 1968 as The Iveys. In 1969, Griffiths left and was replaced by Joey Molland, and the band renamed itself.

In 1970, the band engaged American businessman Stan Polley(big mistake !) to manage their commercial affairs. Over the next five years the band recorded several albums for Apple and toured extensively, before they became embroiled in the chaos of Apple Records' dissolution. The band had four consecutive worldwide hits from 1970 to 1972: "Come and Get It" (written and produced by Paul McCartney), "No Matter What", "Day After Day" (produced by George Harrison) and "Baby Blue".

They signed to Warner Bros., but Polley's financial machinations resulted in a lawsuit by Warner over missing escrow account money. Warner's consequent withdrawal from market of the 1974 album, Wish You Were Here (seven weeks after its release), cut off the band's income. Three days before his 28th birthday, on 24 April 1975, Ham committed suicide by hanging himself, leaving a note that included damning comments about Polley.

Over the next three years, surviving members struggled to rebuild their personal and professional lives against a backdrop of lawsuits. The albums Airwaves (1978) and Say No More (1981) floundered, as Molland and Evans see-sawed between co-operation and struggle in attempts to revive and capitalise on the band's legacy. Having seen Ham's body after Ham's wife had called him, Evans reportedly never got over his friend's suicide, and was quoted as saying in darker moments, "I wanna be where he is." On 19 November 1983, Evans also took his own life by hanging.After he and Molland had an extensive and heated argument on the telephone regarding past income still in escrow from the Apple era, and the "Without You" songwriting royalties Evans was now receiving, which Molland, former manager Collins and Gibbins all wanted a share of...

A tragic story that could have been so much happier if only the band had received what they were due - money-wise, but slightly naive artists are easy pickings for scrupulous managers, recordlabels, lawyers..what have you

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.

Today's mystery album is the 2nd album by our mystery group, released on 9 November 1970.  The album significantly expanded the British group's popularity, especially abroad. It included both the hit single "No Matter What" and the song "Without You", which would become one of the most successful compositions of the rock era. It was the band's first album recorded after new guitarist Joey Molland joined the group, replacing bassist Ron Griffiths. Molland's addition caused Tom Evans to switch from rhythm guitar to bass. Today's mystery band would release five albums, generally their most successful recordings, with this line-up.

The album peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart. Widely praised in music reviews at the time, Rolling Stone magazine opined that it represented what the Beatles would have sounded like had they retained their initial formula. The single from this LP, "No Matter What", peaked in the United States at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970. Other stand-out tracks are "Better Days", "I Don't Mind" and the closer, "We're for the Dark". The album also contains the original version of "Without You". Although the band did not release the song as a single in Europe or North America, it was taken to number 1 on the Billboard charts in 1972 by Harry Nilsson, and became a hit for Mariah Carey in 1994. "Without You" has been the top money-earner for the band  in publishing royalties, having been covered by over 180 artists.

Here to get, it's 97 Gold disc DCC Compact Classics  remaster..N'Joy


Goldy Rhox 206   (flac 319mb)

Goldy Rhox 206    (ogg 121mb)


***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Apr 22, 2015

RhoDeo 1516 Aetix

Hello, ah yes there's a new Shriekback album out "Without Real String or Fish' check out this slightly ironic single Now Those Days Are Gone




Today an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-fi movements, noted for their use of primitive recording techniques, disregard for the technical aspects of musicianship, and songs with subject matters of a childish or coy nature.....Something to  N'Joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Beat Happening was among the truly seminal and influential American bands of the post-punk era, a paragon of pop minimalism, rebellious innocence, and indie defiance. The linchpin of the Olympia, WA-based International Pop Underground, they adopted a stance in direct opposition to the accepted norms at the heart of rock music; ignoring all notions of pretense, professionalism, and stardom, Beat Happening created an unorthodox, raw sound which democratically rotated vocal, guitar, and drum duties between members while jettisoning bass altogether. Dropping their last names to further emphasize their everyman approach, members Calvin (Johnson), Heather (Lewis), and Bret (Lunsford) expressed simple truths and simple emotions with simple music, favoring off-key, tuneless vocals and three-chord primitivism over slick, processed packaging; implicit in their work was also a rejection of major-label trappings, as the group steadfastly remained with K Records, Calvin's self-owned imprint and a model of D.I.Y. indie success.

Beat Happening formed in the early '80s; Calvin, a longtime fixture of the Olympia scene who also helped establish the original Sub Pop fanzine (the basis for the subsequent label), had already founded K, originally a cassette-only project started to release music no other company would touch. An alumnus of the short-lived Cool Rays, Calvin teamed with Heather and assorted friends in the first incarnation of Beat Happening, playing shows whenever and wherever they could as long as the performances were held at all-ages venues; his canyon-deep baritone quickly became as much a group trademark as their sardonic, even juvenile songs. After Bret joined in mid-1983, Beat Happening issued their debut five-song cassette a year later; a sightseeing trip to Japan followed, and while in Tokyo, the trio recorded its second effort, 1984's Three Tea Breakfast EP. Their 1985 eponymous full-length debut, produced by the Wipers' Greg Sage, brought Beat Happening their first widespread exposure, as well as a number of comparisons to the burgeoning British twee pop scene spearheaded by the Pastels. A long layoff followed prior to the release of 1988's remarkable Jamboree, co-produced by Mark Lanegan and Gary Lee Conner of the Screaming Trees.

The four-song joint release Beat Happening/Screaming Trees surfaced a few months later, trailed by 1989's Black Candy. With the release of 1991's Dreamy, Beat Happening's influence on the indie community became increasingly pronounced; not only did the blossoming cuddle-core movement owe the trio a huge debt, but in the summer 1991 Calvin masterminded the International Pop Underground Festival, a now-legendary concert spotlighting over 50 bands -- among them Bikini Kill, Fugazi, Scrawl, the Fastbacks, L7, and Mecca Normal -- all aligned in their opposition to corporate music. The sublime You Turn Me On followed, but apart from "Not a Care in the World," a track contributed to a 1992 Sub Pop sampler given away free to readers of Sassy magazine, Beat Happening spent much of the decade in limbo as Calvin focused on his Dub Narcotic Sound System project as well as the Halo Benders, a band founded with Built to Spill's Doug Martsch. Despite its absence from the stage and the studio, the trio maintained that it had not disbanded, and reportedly continued practicing on a monthly basis. Ten years after its last release, the band became the unlikely focus of a box set, Crashing Through, which collects all of the band's officially released music except for two of their tracks from a live cassette split with The Vaselines, was released in 2002. The box set included a booklet containing a lengthy essay on the history and impact of the band by Lois Maffeo, as well as rare photos of members Calvin, Heather and Bret..

The band's live performances stood out for Calvin's pogo, hula and shimmy moves, which he'd seen on news reports about UK punks. This did not ingratiate the band to hardcore audiences when they toured with Fugazi in the late 1980s, and audiences were openly hostile, even throwing an ashtrays at the band. Nonetheless, rock critic Michael Azzerrad suggests that "Beat Happening ... were a major force in widening the idea of a punk rocker from a mohawked guy in a motorcycle jacket to a nerdy girl in a cardigan". The presence of Heather Lewis on drums, and Calvin's non-threatening stage presence, presented a wider variety of punk identities and genders than other acts in the hardcore scene of the time, which was predominantly male Beat Happening has been cited as an influence on early riot grrl acts such as Bratmobile and Kathi Wilcox of Bikini Kill

Calvin Johnson was one of the founders of seminal indie-rock label K Records. The label achieved modest success and continues to hold its independent integrity, claiming to have been "exploding the teenage underground into passionate revolt against the corporate ogre since 1982."


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Beat Happening can't be given credit for creating the indie pop genre, but they certainly gave it life in America. This, their first album, is indie pop in its purest form: fuzzy bedroom recordings of simplistic, cutesy songs, with intentionally innocent and juvenile lyrics, which Calvin Johnson belts out with one of the most endearingly bad voices in music history. Their later albums sport better songwriting and are more listenable from a production standpoint, but Beat Happening is as twee and charming as this type of music can get. 1983-85, its CD reissue (with a few live songs and early recordings added), is for devoted indie pop fans only.



Beat Happening - Beat Happening  (flac 259mb)

01 Our Secret 2:51
02 What's Important 2:02
03 Down At The Sea 1:24
04 I Love You 2:03
05 Fourteen 1:50
06 Run Down The Stairs 2:13
07 Bad Seeds (Live) 2:03
08 In My Memory 2:04
09 Honey Pot 1:06
10 The Fall 1:46
11 Youth 1:57
12 Don't Mix The Colors 3:00
13 Foggy Eyes 2:46
14 Bad Seeds 1:50
15 I Let Him Get To Me 1:33
16 I Spy 1:50
17 Run Down The Stairs 1:55
18 Christmas 1:24
19 Fourteen 1:44
20 Let's Kiss 2:46
21 1, 2, 3 1:45
22 In Love With You Thing 1:11
23 Look Around 2:45
24 I Love You (Demo Snippet) 0:11

Beat Happening - Beat Happening  (ogg 110mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Co-produced by Steve Fisk and the Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan and Gary Lee Conner, Beat Happening's brief, brilliant sophomore effort significantly expands the trio's horizons without sacrificing any of their naïve charm. Sporting a fuller, more intricate sound and stronger songs than their debut, Jamboree crystallizes the trio's love-rock aesthetic in its embryonic stages; veering sharply from the idyllic drones of the perennial "Indian Summer" to the poignant crush-pop of "Cat Walk" to the indie-party classic "Midnight a Go-Go," each cut is a marvel of innocence and ingenuity.



Beat Happening - Jamboree  (flac 147mb)

01 Bewitched 3:06
02 In Between 2:21
03 Indian Summer  3:05
04 Hangman 2:31
05 Jamboree 1:03
06 Ask Me 0:58
07 Crashing Through 1:16
08 Cat Walk 1:58
09 Drive Car Girl 2:00
10 Midnight A Go-Go 2:18
11 The This Many Boyfriends Club 3:18

Beat Happening - Jamboree  (ogg 55mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

As evidenced by its title, Black Candy is Beat Happening's darkest, most deliriously ominous album; clearly influenced by the Cramps, the record is dominated by Calvin Johnson's coffin-creak vocals, with Heather Lewis' breathy sweetness rarely in earshot to lighten the mood. A less developed batch of compositions than the previous Jamboree, it strives to evoke the mood of a grade-Z teen horror flick soundtrack, with faux-creepy songs ("Pajama Party in a Haunted Hive," "Gravedigger Blues," "Bonfire") and primal, drum-dominated production; less eclectic and nuanced than the trio's other LPs, Black Candy quickly grows tiresome, although the oft-covered highlight "Cast a Shadow" is a treat.



Beat Happening - Black Candy (flac 178mb)

01 Other Side 3:35
02 Black Candy 3:00
03 Knick Knack 2:14
04 Pajama Party In A Haunted Hive 4:39
05 Gravediggers Blues 2:26
06 Cast A Shadow 2:32
07 Bonfire 3:13
08 T.V. Girl 2:32
09 Playhouse 2:30
10 Ponytail 3:27

Beat Happening - Black Candy (ogg 77mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Beat Happening's final LP is also their best: concluding the emotional and musical progression begun with the minimalist innocence of their earliest work, You Turn Me On is a mature record of tremendous breadth and complexity. Where once the trio's songs were brief and bouncy, the nine tracks here are epic (several top out at over six minutes) and ambitious; produced in part by ex-Young Marble Giant Stuart Moxham (an obvious influence), the record's full, deep sound belies its bare-bones performances -- "Teenage Caveman" sports booming, primal drums perfectly suited to its title, while the propulsive "Noise" manufactures the illusion of a bassline where none ever existed. The most democratic record in an output founded on egalitarian ideals, You Turn Me On offers Heather Lewis' strongest songs ever -- her hypnotic nine-minute "Godsend" is the LP's heart and soul -- and she and Calvin Johnson even trade verses on the closing "Bury the Hammer." As for Calvin himself, his solo contributions are exceptional -- the spartan opener "Tiger Trap" is an evocative heartbreaker, and the title track is a fire-breathing corker. A masterpiece.



Beat Happening - You Turn Me On (flac 296mb)

01 Tiger Trap 6:53
02 Noise 3:23
03 Pinebox Derby 3:08
04 Teenage Caveman 4:35
05 Sleepy Head 4:08
06 You Turn Me On 4:10
07 Godsend 9:28
08 Hey Day 3:25
09 Bury The Hammer 6:04

Beat Happening - You Turn Me On (ogg 110mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 21, 2015

RhoDeo 1516 Re-Ups 12

Hello, well  requests are still taken and please add a name


Storage maybe dirt cheap these days -compared to 5 years ago, but the hosts are much more money orientated and look at turnover and notice that keeping data longer than 1 month isn't making them money. Thus the coming months i'm making an effort to re-up, it will satisfy a small number of people which means its likely the update will  expire relativly quickly again as its interest that keeps it live. Nevertheless here's your chance ... asks for re-up in the comments section prefarbly at the page where the expired link resides....requests are satisfied on a first come first go basis. As my back up ogg hard disk is nonresponsive currently, i most likely will post a flac instead~for the the pre medio 2011 posts~ but i would think that is not really a problem...updates will be posted here and yes sign a name to your request and please do it from the page where the link died!

More new updates here

4x Echo and the Bunnymen now in Flac


3xFunkadelic - Live, America Eats and Cosmic Slop (back in Flac )


4x Fat Boy Slim back in flac

now the other 2
2 x 2 French Anthology  back in flac


3x O'Rang + Mark Hollis  back in flac


Rough Trade Electronic 1+2 n We Are Skint 1+2 now in flac

 A flac upgrade for the june 2007 wavetrain 5 posting
Section 25, 23 Skidoo, Shriekback, TRB, Snakefinger

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 20, 2015

RhoDeo 1516 Empire Strikes 06

Hello, well the sports highlights today saw an exiting bicycle race won by the polish worldchampion, Kwiatkowski he hung in there and proved to have the best sprintlegs left. Meanwhile Hamilton was largely invisible at the Bahrein GP not that he was that far ahead but all the action was behind him, in the end Vettel had a bad day and dropped from 2nd to fifth, his team mate Raikonen, must have felt galvanized as he raced towards 2nd and who knows with 5 more laps he might have gotten past Hamilton too.





This week the Empire will Strike Back !

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away...................

At first, the idea seems bizarre, even ridiculous. Star Wars, a movie best known for its vistas of alien worlds and epic battles, as a 13 part radio drama? Well, unless you have the cold heart of a Sith, Star Wars did indeed translate well from the silver screen to radio, thank you very much. Yes, Star Wars' visual effects are a big part of the magic of the saga, but the heart and soul of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away are the characters and the storyline. And while the movie is satisfying on its own, the radio dramatization written by the late Brian Daley takes us beyond the movie....beyond the screenplay...and even beyond the novelization.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

This landmark production, perhaps the most ambitious radio project ever attempted, began when Star Wars creator George Lucas donated the story rights to an NPR affiliate. Writer Brian Daley adapted the film's highly visual script to the special demands and unique possibilities of radio, creating a more richly textured tale with greater emphasis on character development. The success of the first series led to a 10-part, four hour 15 minute series based on the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back, again written by Daley and directed by Madden. The series debuted on NPR on February 14, 1983.

Like the preceding series, The Empire Strikes Back expands on the movie's story by incorporating new scenes. Examples include an Imperial attack on a Rebel convoy set before the film's opening scene and a tense conversation between Solo and Skywalker while the two are stranded in the Hoth wastelands.

National Public Radio's promoted the series in part by getting Craig Claiborne to create his version of Yoda's rootleaf recipe, which the Jedi Master serves Luke in the hut on Dagobah. The recipe ran in magazines and newspapers across the country.
Billy Dee Williams reprised Lando Calrissian, and John Lithgow played Yoda at the same time Madden was directing Lithgow in the play Beyond Therapy. Hamill and Daniels returned to voice Skywalker and C-3PO.

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

It was recorded in 1982 at A&R Studios, New York City

With among others:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker
Perry King as Han Solo
Ann Sachs as Princess Leia Organa
Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian
Bernard Behrens as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Brock Peters as Lord Darth Vader
John Lithgow as Yoda
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
James Eckhouse as Beta
Peter Friedman as Dak
Ron Frazier as Deck Officer
Merwin Goldsmith as General Rieekan
Peter Michael Goetz as Ozzel
Gordon Gould as Veers
Paul Hecht as The Emperor
Russell Horton as 2-1B
James Hurdle as Controller
Nicholas Kepros as Needa
David Rasche as Piett
Alan Rosenberg as Boba Fett
Jay O. Sanders as Imperial Pilot
Don Scarino as Wedge
Ken Hiller as Narrator


The Empire Strikes Back 06 Way Of The Jedi (mp3  25mb)

206 Way Of The Jedi 27:30


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

previously

The Empire Strikes Back 05 Millennium Falcon Pursuit (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 04 Fire And Ice (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 03 A Question Of Survival (mp3  23mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 02 The Coming Storm (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 01 Freedom's Winter (mp3  24mb)

A New Hope 101 A Wind to Shake the Stars (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 102 Points of Origin (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 103 Black Knight, White Princess (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 104 While Giants Mark Time (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 105 Jedi That Was Jedi To Be (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 106 The Millenium Falcon Deal (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 107 The Han Solo Solution (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 108 Death Star's Transit (mp3 26mb)
A New Hope 109 Rogues, Rebels And Robots (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 110 The Luke Skywalker Initiative (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 111 The Jedi Nexus (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 112 The Case For Rebellion (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 113 Force And Counter Force (mp3  25mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 19, 2015

Sundaze 1516

Hello,

Today's Sundazers are the godfathers of the minimal techno scene we explored here, these last months.,They've become synonymous with a brand of stripped-down, ultra-minimal techno almost devoid of musical substance or intent... N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Basic Channel is a production team and record label, composed of Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, that originated in Berlin, Germany in 1993.The duo originally released a number of vinyl-only tracks under various aliases, the most well known being Basic Channel and Maurizio, each of which employed their signature brand of minimal techno. The original nine releases under their Basic Channel name were each primarily identified as Basic Channel productions by their catalogue numbers, as the Basic Channel logo on the label became more distorted and unreadable with each subsequent release.

The duo set up a studio in Berlin on Paul-Lincke-Ufer, in a building which was eventually to house Mark Ernestus’ distributing company and shop Hard Wax, and the label's mastering studio Dubplates & Mastering, set up to ensure a desired dynamic quality for the vinyl.

 The duo released a number of vinyl-only tracks under various aliases, each of which employed their signature brand of dissonant dub techno. The nine original releases were each primarily identified as Basic Channel productions by their catalogue numbers, as the Basic Channel logo on the label became more distorted and unreadable with each subsequent release. Basic Channel’s first nine releases total about 4,5 hours of music BC-01 Cyrus “Enforcement” , BC-02 Phylyps “Trak” , BC-03 Vainqueur, “Lyot (Reshape)” , BC-04 Quadrant “Q 1.1” , BC-05 Cyrus “Inversion” , BC-06 Quadrant “Dub” , BC-07 Basic Channel “Octagon / Octaedre” , BC-08 Radiance “I / II / III” , BC-09 Phylyps “Trak II” . The Basic Channel record label released only a single CD, BCD, a self-titled compilation of edited versions of their extended vinyl tracks. After which the Basic Channel imprint ceased business in 1995

 However, Basic Channel is just one in a network of artists and labels also including Thomas Koner/Porter Ricks. Among the most important were Chain Reaction, which released non-Von Oswald/Ernestus productions and helped launch the careers of dub-influenced minimal techno producers such as Monolake and Porter Ricks; Basic Replay, which specialises in reggae and dancehall re-issues; Main Street, for house-related releases; and Burial Mix and Rhythm & Sound, which saw the duo's sound move away from the Detroit blueprint and closer to vocal-lead dub and reggae.


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Berlin's Basic Channel collective released this untitled record baring only the circular and barely legible Basic Channel logo, containing two new versions of Basic Channel's Phylyps Trak and Vainqueur's Lyot. The "Phylyps Trak Remix" takes the same sounds and motifs found on that record and reworks them, creating a less dense, yet equally as banging, version of this hard techno classic. The flip side, "Lyot Remix," steals the original track's melodic hook, distorts it with layers of fuzz, and then loops it endlessly while an aquatic soundtrack of reverb-drenched spontaneous echoes flows fluidly overtop. In addition, some barely audible synth tones and hissing static wash through the disorientating song. The juxtaposing moods of these two songs -- teeth-grinding power and opium-hazed sleepiness -- make for a wonderful addition to the Basic Channel series, giving listeners a taste of the Berlin label's two different flavors and previewing the "Lyot Remix"-like sound of the succeeding Radiance record.



[BC-01-03] Cyrus - Enforcement, Phylyps & Lyot  (ogg 460mb)

[BC-01] Cyrus - Enforcement
01 Enforcement 13:23
02 Enforcement (Mills Mix) 5:29
03 Enforcement (Recall) 7:07
[BC-02] Basic Channel - Phylyps Trak
01 Phylyps Trak 9:46
02 Phylyps Base 7:15
03 Axis 5:05
[BC-03] Basic Channel - Lyot Rmx
01 Lyot Rmx 11:57
02 Phylyps Rmx 9:51

[BC-01-03] Cyrus - Enforcement, Phylyps & Lyot  (ogg 208mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Similar to the preceding Phylyps Trak record and the succeeding Radiance record, Basic Channel's Q 1.1 offers multiple variations of a particular motif. The featured motif on this record involves a steady, pumping dub basslines and some dark, mechanical, dusty drum machine percussion. This all works primarily because of the record's pristine clarity, making the dub basslines sound tangibly warm and the percussion sound more robotic than it perhaps should. To top things off, some classic techno synth appears periodically to further bolster this record's range of unique sounds. In sum, it's rather amazing to listen as this Berlin collective creatively rework the same sounds in such different ways, inciting a broad palette of emotive responses within the listener while always remaining true to dancefloor aesthetic. These compositions aren't nearly as epic as most residing within the collective's canon, but it's almost refreshing to hear songs that don't necessarily challenge one's patience.



[BC-04-6] Basic Channel - Q 1.1, Inversion, Quadrant Dub  (flac  577mb)

[BC-04] Basic Channel - Q 1.1
01 Q1.1/I 7:53
02 Q1.1/II 4:17
03 Q1.1/III 6:19
04 Q1.1/IIII 1:06
[BC-05] Cyrus - Inversion
01 Inversion 17:55
02 Presence 20:39
[BC-06] Basic Channel - Quadrant Dub
01 Quadrant Dub I 20:56
02 Quadrant Dub II 15:16


[BC-04-6] Basic Channel - Q 1.1, Inversion, Quadrant Dub   (ogg 214mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Perhaps no Basic Channel record better captures the Berlin label's array of different styles on one record. On both the "Octagon" side and the "Octaedre" side, one can hear the many sounds brought together to slightly different results. The forward-moving, choppy mechanical percussion of the Phylyps Trak records combines with the fat warmth of the Quadrant dub bass beats to form the rhythm track for each record. The Basic Channel camp then adds the strange hallucinogenic tone alterations from the Cyrus records along with the filtered aquatic noises from the Radiance record to bring personality to the intricate rhythm. By merging each of these unique motifs together into one giant compound, Basic Channel has created a monstrous record loaded with hard percussion, throbbing bass, trippy high-end sounds, and twisting minimal repetition to disorientate even the most stable listeners. Spin "Octagon" for a cognitive journey and save "Octaedre" for intense moments.



[BC-07-09] Basic Channel - Octagon & Octaedre, Radiance, Phylyps Trak II  (flac  435mb)

[BC-07] Basic Channel - Octagon & Octaedre
01 Octagon 12:53
02 Octaedre 13:05
[BC-08] Basic Channel - Radiance
01 Radiance I 13:28
02 Radiance II 3:58
03 Radiance III 13:27
[BC-09] Basic Channel - Phylyps Trak II
01 Phylyps Trak II/I 12:12
02 Phylyps Trak II/II 13:04

[BC-07-09] Basic Channel - Octagon & Octaedre, Radiance, Phylyps Trak II    (ogg 176mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

For this epic record of absolutely beautiful dub techno, Quadrant stretches the barest essentials for techno to their extreme lengths. In addition to breaking the song down to its most minimal ingredients -- bass beats, a sense of rhythm, and filtered high-end sounds -- Quadrant also keeps the song thumping away for endless loops, only making the slightest changes in song structure. For over a minute, seemingly nothing will have changed: the rhythm will remain constant, the tempo will not change, the looped sounds will seem locked in place, and the filtered high-end sounds will stay linear. Yet when the songs last over 15 minutes each, there doesn't need to be much change. Subtle shifts every few minutes go undetected as the listener remains unconsciously mesmerized by the body-shaking low-end sounds emanating from his or her subwoofer. This is body-engulfing music that is intended to cast a sedate spell over the listener, constructing a lengthy journey into one of Basic Channel's landmark records.



[BC-BR] Paperclip People - Basic Reshape,[BC-QD] Quadrant - Infinition & Hyperprism (flac 239mb)

[BC-BR] Paperclip People - Basic Reshape
01 Remake (Basic Reshape) 6:06
02 The Climax (Basic Reshape) 13:24
[BC-QD] Quadrant - Infinition & Hyperprism
01 Infinition 10:30
02 Hyperprism 10:40

[BC-BR] Paperclip People - Basic Reshape,[BC-QD] Quadrant - Infinition & Hyperprism  (ogg 90mb)



xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

http://rho-xs.blogspot.nl/2008/10/rhotation-50-into-bpm.html

Basic Channel - BCD 1 (flac 314mb)

Basic Channel Re-Ups The Climax & Phylyps Trak II    (ogg 152mb)


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Apr 18, 2015

RhoDeo 1515 Grooves

Hello,

Today.for the third and final time a singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer, truly one of the greats, a pioneer in funk and socially aware R&B. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 (Performer). Inducted into Songwriters Hall of Fame after his premature death in 2000. Here to,,,,,N'joy

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Perhaps because he didn't cross over to the pop audience as heavily as Motown's stars, it may be that the scope of Curtis Mayfield's talents and contributions have yet to be fully recognized. Judged merely by his records alone, the man's legacy is enormous. As the leader of the Impressions, he recorded some of the finest soul vocal group music of the 1960s. As a solo artist in the 1970s, he helped pioneer funk and helped introduce hard-hitting urban commentary into soul music. "Gypsy Woman," "It's All Right," "People Get Ready," "Freddie's Dead," and "Super Fly" are merely the most famous of his many hit records.

 But Curtis Mayfield wasn't just a singer. He wrote most of his material at a time when that was not the norm for soul performers. He was among the first -- if not the very first -- to speak openly about African-American pride and community struggle in his compositions. As a songwriter and a producer, he was a key architect of Chicago soul, penning material and working on sessions by notable Windy City soulsters like Gene Chandler, Jerry Butler, Major Lance, and Billy Butler. In this sense, he can be compared to Smokey Robinson, who also managed to find time to write and produce many classics for other soul stars. Mayfield was also an excellent guitarist, and his rolling, Latin-influenced lines were highlights of the Impressions' recordings in the '60s. During the next decade, he would toughen up his guitar work and production, incorporating some of the best features of psychedelic rock and funk.

Mayfield began his career as an associate of Jerry Butler, with whom he formed the Impressions in the late '50s. After the Impressions had a big hit in 1958 with "For Your Precious Love," Butler, who had sung lead on the record, split to start a solo career. Mayfield, while keeping the Impressions together, continued to write for and tour with Butler before the Impressions got their first Top 20 hit in 1961, "Gypsy Woman."

Mayfield was heavily steeped in gospel music before he entered the pop arena, and gospel, as well as doo wop, influences would figure prominently in most of his '60s work. Mayfield wasn't a staunch traditionalist, however. He and the Impressions may have often worked the call-and-response gospel style, but his songs (romantic and otherwise) were often veiled or unveiled messages of black pride, reflecting the increased confidence and self-determination of the African-American community. Musically he was an innovator as well, using arrangements that employed the punchy, blaring horns and Latin-influenced rhythms that came to be trademark flourishes of Chicago soul. As the staff producer for the OKeh label, Mayfield was also instrumental in lending his talents to the work of other Chi-town soul singers who went on to national success. With Mayfield singing lead and playing guitar, the Impressions had 14 Top 40 hits in the 1960s (five made the Top 20 in 1964 alone), and released some above-average albums during that period as well.

Given Mayfield's prodigious talents, it was perhaps inevitable that he would eventually leave the Impressions to begin a solo career, as he did in 1970. His first few singles boasted a harder, more funk-driven sound; singles like "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Gonna Go" found him confronting ghetto life with a realism that had rarely been heard on record. He really didn't hit his artistic or commercial stride as a solo artist, though, until Super Fly, his soundtrack to a 1972 blaxploitation film. Drug deals, ghetto shootings, the death of young black men before their time: all were described in penetrating detail. Yet Mayfield's irrepressible falsetto vocals, uplifting melodies, and fabulous funk pop arrangements gave the oft-moralizing material a graceful strength that few others could have achieved. For all the glory of his past work, Superfly stands as his crowning achievement, not to mention a much-needed counterpoint to the sensationalistic portrayals of the film itself.

At this point Mayfield, along with Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, was the foremost exponent of a new level of compelling auteurism in soul. His failure to maintain the standards of Super Fly qualifies as one of the great disappointments in the history of black popular music. Perhaps he'd simply reached his peak after a long climb, but the rest of his '70s work didn't match the musical brilliance and lyrical subtleties of Super Fly, although he had a few large R&B hits in a much more conventional vein, such as "Kung Fu," "So in Love," and "Only You Babe."

Mayfield had a couple of hits in the early '80s, but the decade generally found his commercial fortunes in a steady downward spiral, despite some intermittent albums. On August 14, 1990, he became paralyzed from the neck down when a lighting rig fell on top of him at a concert in Brooklyn, NY. In the mid-'90s, a couple of tribute albums consisting of Mayfield covers appeared, with contributions by such superstars as Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, and Gladys Knight. Though no substitute for the man himself, these tributes served as an indication of the enormous regard in which Mayfield was still held by his peers. He died December 26, 1999 at the age of 57.


xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The title is intended in an ironic way, as illustrated not only by the cover -- a grim parody of late-'40s/early-'50s advertising imagery depicting white versus black social reality -- but the grim yet utterly catchy and haunting opening number, "Billy Jack." A song about gun violence that was years ahead of its time, it's scored to an incisive horn arrangement by Richard Tufo. "When Seasons Change" is a beautifully wrought account of the miseries of urban life that contains elements of both gospel and contemporary soul. The album's one big song, "So in Love," which made number 67 on the pop charts but was a Top Ten soul hit, is only the prettiest of a string of exquisite tracks on the album, including "Blue Monday People" and "Jesus" and the soaring finale, "Love to the People," broken up by the harder-edged "Hard Times." The album doesn't really have as clearly delineated a body of songs as Mayfield's earlier topical releases, but it's in the same league with his other work of the period and represents him near his prime as a composer.




Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today  (flac  211mb)

01 Billy Jack 6:07
02 When Seasons Change 5:23
03 So In Love 5:10
04 Jesus 6:10
05 Blue Monday People 4:45
06 Hard Times 3:42
07 Love To The People 4:06

Curtis Mayfield - There's No Place Like America Today  (ogg  89mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

Less sociopolitical than previous efforts, Give Get Take Have offers "Mr. Welfare Man" as its sole attempt to enlighten and enhance. Mayfield was obviously experiencing the joys of new love when he cut "Only You Babe" and "This Love Is Sweet," and the tear-jerking numbers "In Your Arms Again" and "Party Night." His aching falsetto coos and purrs, but sounds weakened on this LP. Overall, the album falls short of Mayfield's former releases, but even great artists don't always achieve their usual high standards. This was originally released on Curtom Records in the mid-'70s. Never Say You Can't Survive was the last Curtis Mayfield album done in a pure soul vein for the next three years -- its style and sound place it in a direct continuity with the rest of his output right back to 1958. The singing on love songs such as "Show Me Love," "Just Want to Be With You," and "When We're Alone" is among the most achingly lyrical and passionate of his career. The title track boasts ravishing backup singing by Kitty & the Haywoods (who also perform outstandingly on "I'm Gonna Win Your Love") and a beautiful arrangement by James Mack. The album's final track, "Sparkle" (written for Sam O'Steen's movie of the same name, starring Philip Michael Thomas, Irene Cara, and Lonette McKee), gets one of three distinct treatments that the song ever received (the others from the soundtrack and Aretha Franklin's version).



Curtis Mayfield - Give, Get, Take And Have/Never Say You Can't Survive (flac 427mb)

01 In Your Arms Again (Shake It) 4:24
02 This Love Is Sweet 3:08
03 P.S. I Love You 3:57
04 Party Night 3:48
05 Get A Little Bit (Give, Get, Take And Have) 3:34
06 Soul Music 3:58
07 Only You Babe 4:20
08 Mr. Welfare Man 5:44
Never Say You Can't Survive
09 Show Me Love 5:11
10 Just Want To Be With You 3:11
11 When We're Alone 5:23
12 Never Say You Can't Survive 3:17
13 I'm Gonna Win Your Love 4:41
14 All Night Long 4:12
15 When You Used To Be Mine 3:39
16 Mr. Welfare Man 4:00

Curtis Mayfield - Give, Get, Take And Have/Never Say You Can't Survive (ogg 161mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx

The last Curtis Mayfield album distributed by Warner Bros., during Curtom Records' declining years of 1977-1978, was a maddening album, a complete break in style as Mayfield moved into a pure disco vein. It was his most successful album in three years, but it alienated many longtime fans because he deliberately dumbed down his writing -- he traded his core audience, who couldn't abide the album, for a slightly larger disco audience that had previously eluded him, painting himself into an artistic and career corner. The title track was indicative of the artistic nadir to which Mayfield had to descend to find where the mass audience had gone, a number without an ounce of poetry that he wouldn't have wasted his time with in the studio, much less completed or released, in years past; the beat and the arrangements rather overwhelm anything that Mayfield is saying or singing throughout this album. The closest one gets to the old Curtis Mayfield sound, which is to say, to Curtis Mayfield at all, is "In Love, In Love, In Love," a relatively subdued and soulful number which would have been a secondary track on almost any album that preceded this one, and it is practically lost here, sandwiched in between the commercial dance numbers "Keeps Me Loving You" and "You Are, You Are." Mayfield would adapt his style better to the needs of disco with Heartbeat, his next album.



Curtis Mayfield - Do It All Night (flac 218mb)

01 Ain't Got Time 5:10
02 Sweet Exorcist 3:50
03 To Be Invisible 4:12
04 Power To The People 3:26
05 Kung Fu 6:02
06 Suffer 4:06
07 Make Me Believe In You 5:32

Curtis Mayfield - Do It All Night  (ogg 84mb)

xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx