Stax-Volt Revue Live in London 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)One of the most classic live albums I've ever heard with Booker T and the MG's, the great Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, horn players the Mar-Keys (featuring future Memphis Hornsmen Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love), Carla Thomas and Sam and Dave all in top soulful form playing live in London.

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Pearl Harbour 79 (Mlps) Review

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(More customer reviews)This Japanese mini-lp replica version of Clash's best album is simply a work of art! Very beautifully designed with all the lyrics included and with a sound quality remastered to perfection.
This is by far the best version of this album that is out there; great sound quality, great packaging, great songs! A must have in any CD collector's library.


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Digitally remastered reissue of their Japanese original artwork edition originally released in 1979. Contains the album 'The Clash'(original UK track listing) and a bonus CD single containing 'Gates of the West' and 'Groovy Times' which was included as a bonus 7-inch on the original Japanese LP pressing!Comes housed in a cardbaord sleeve. CBS. 2004.

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One Nation Under a Groove Review

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(More customer reviews)Another solid cd from Funkadelic. Definitely for the Funkateer young or old!!! Of course the title cut "One Nation Under A Groove" is great, eventhough it is the 7:28 version, but there are other definitive jams on here. "Groovallegiance" is real low down and funky!! "Cholly" is a solid groove and gets you ready to roll. "Who Says A Funk Band Can't Play Rock" is a serious cut that demands immediate attention from the listener, because Funkadelic throws down on this one. "Lunchmeataphobia" is a real funk/rock groove that will tickle your senses. "Maggot Brain" is simply marvelous, like always, plus it is the live, "...ain't illegal yet" version. This entire CD represents the masterful composition and artistry of George Clinton, Bernie Worrell, and Gary Shider. The lyrics are pure, the melodies are solid, and the beats are simply funky. All Funkateers must have this CD, otherwise their collection is incomplete until they possess it.

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Great price for this 5 star album originally released in1978. Digitally remastered. Priority Records. 2002.

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Before The Flood Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been vexed by this release ever since some old friends of mine used to rave about it. I just couldn't warm up to it. I thought the Dylan songs were just not like the studio ones I was familar with and the sonic limitations (of the orignal CD release) definitely did not help its cause. Now I can say it was soley the sonics that kept this on the shelf for so long. The improved sound is just brilliant, the high end rides above a solid bottom whereas this used to be a muddy mess. I can finally recommend this. Many diehards will lament the lack of any bonus material whatsoever. This is how the Dylan machine operates, he uses his bootleg series toward that end and he keeps the legacy material tried and true. I applaud that and I think brevity is sometimes its own reward.

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Japanese only paper sleeve pressing. Sony. 2009.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Frampton Comes Alive 2 Review

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(More customer reviews)Regardless of what the other reviewers are saying...this is a pretty good concert...You wouldn't expect Frampton to do any repeats of songs he did on the classic Frampton Comes Alive...Why should he??? He has nothing to prove..That album still holds the record as being the largest selling live album in history...how can you improve on a flawless performance that has been remastered to HDCD standards? But then...why would you??
Frampton himself always expressed that he lived for the stage and the rush of the live performace....he never felt the recording studio did his music justice...as it lacked the audience vibe.
I attended the 1976 tour and witnessed the full impact of his stage prowess from a center position not 75 feet from the stage....best location to get the best sound.
I have been a consistent fan since his early days with Humble Pie...and altho I was never really impressed with his post 1976 albums..I feel this live set features his later material in their most beneficial and natural setting....the live concert...
Try and forget the studio versions of these songs and give them a fresh listen....as I did....If you liked Peter Frampton back when he rode the wave of fame in the mid 70's....you wont be disappointed. He pulls out the talk box and uses it sparingly....just to treat you to a bit of nostalgia.....so you can say.....WOW...it really is him.....he might not have the long curly locks anymore...but he still knows how to wield a mean guitar...Whether it's his famed black beauty or any from his sizeable arsenal...there's no mistaking mister Framptons dynamically powerful playing. Bob Mayo is as supportive as ever...John Regan on bass and JR Robinson on drums are a very tight and solid rythym section..The chops are as strong as anything from 1976's classic.
I always wondered if there was more of the post 1976 material to this concert that wasn't included here...Might be nice if they release this CD set in a 2cd deluxe version in HDCD format.


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Sticky Fingers Review

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(More customer reviews)Along with Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed and Exile On Main Street, this is arguably the greatest album ever by the world's greatest rock 'n roll band. This is the post-60's peace and love, nasty early 70's hard core drug inspired kick ass Stones at their pinnacle. Played out classics include "Brown Sugar," "Bitch" and "Wild Horses," but this album's deeper cuts are the true gems.
I dare you to keep the hair on your head from standing on end as you hear the opening chords to the epic "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" at full volume. Forget heavy metal - it just doesn't get any raunchier than this, or any better, as Keith and Mick Taylor go at it with a vengeance. Billy Preston guest stars with his classic afro organ sound on the bittersweet "I Got the Blues." Then hold on to your hats, turn down the lights and contemplate the mysteries of the Holy Trinity of "Sister Morphine," "Dead Flowers" and "Moonlight Mile," an incredible sequence of Mick, Keith, Mick Talyor and Ry Cooder genius that will leave you crying for more. Memorable and twisted lyrics, haunting guitars, classic Mick vocals and just pure greatness. These drug drenched masterpieces, not for the faint-hearted, could easily have provided an Abbey Road-like crescendo to the Stones' career. Fortunately for us, Keith somehow survived and the Stones went on to record "Exile," their last truly great album.
Warning: in a lame crowd, this is an instant party killer.
As a final note, the original vinyl album cover, designed by Andy Warhol, has a real zipper and is a collector's item.

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Armed Forces Review

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(More customer reviews)Armed Forces represents an early high point to Elvis and the Attractions' late-70's progression and development. On this disc, Costello is fully mining the vein of what he had referred to as "Revenge and Guilt" song subject manner while filtering it all through the framework of a fascination he had with the topics of fascism and control. A good share of the songs either directly or indirectly feature characters or situations where corporate, military or social shackles "force" someone into doing something to someone else--usually something quite nasty. Lyrical tidbits of profound dark humor and twisted verbal brilliance are to be found all over the place in this strong set of like-minded songs. Examples include "It's a death that's worse than fate" or "They took me in the office and they told me very carefully the way that I could benefit from death and disability" (Senior Service)-or how about "Now you've given your performance/though the matinee was idle/ and you're finding that a wave of her right hand could seem so tidal" (Busy Bodies).

Though the musical stylings are still roughly defined by what became known as the 'New Wave' sound, this disc is more informed by the sounds of then-contemporary US AM radio than any other Costello disc. One cause of this was the AM radio in the station wagon the Attractions used to drive from show to show on their first US tour in 1978. You'll hear the evidence pop up in places like the piano flourishes (just like those in ABBA's "Dancin' Queen") in "Oliver's Army" , or in the four/four disco beat of "Senior Service". Disc one of this reissue set is the whole essential, verbose, witty, and ear-pleasing Armed Forces disc in both its UK/world incarnation ("Sunday's Best" included) and US version("...Peace, Love and Understanding" included.)
Disc Two is made up of non-LP/B-sides (all 5 of which were on Columbia's "Taking Liberties" collection from 1980 and on the Rykodisc reissue of Armed Forces) and two previously unissued alternate versions of two "Armed Forces" songs in addition to a whole slew of live songs. If you bought the "Armed Forces" LP right when it was released in 1979 you got a free bonus shrink-wrapped in with the album, a three song single called "Live at Hollywood High"(These three songs were also on the Rykodisc reissue). The gorgeous voice and piano version of "Accidents Will Happen" led off side A of this single, which faded abruptly as drums came bursting in before the final chords were done ringing. Next was an understated "Alison"(also with a quick fade), and on side B, a feedback whine faded in to a rather lengthy version of "Watching The Detectives". Thanks to this new bonus disc, we now can here the whole nine song live event without the fades and in the proper sequence. We can hear further evidence of the smoking power and breakneck pace of the 1978 Attractions (also portrayed on the very worthwhile Rykodisc promo CD called "Live at El Mocombo" from a March, 1978 Toronto date), but we can also glean a bit more subtlety and variety in the band's rapidly maturing approach by studying the nuances of this show. We now know that is was a direct link to "Mystery Dance" that caused the quick fade of the first song, and that it was the end of "Lipstick Vogue" that furnished the feedback link to "Watching The Detectives". A final solo "Chemistry Class" closes out this excellent bonus disc.
This wonderful reissue of a reissue should represent the last time you'll ever have to buy "Armed Forces". Get it and you may be able to fully comprehend the tagline from an early 80's Columbia ad campaign---"Elvis Costello. Four Eyes. One Vision."

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Produced under the direct supervision of Elvis Costello. Housed in a slim-line package, each rerelease contains a deluxe 28-page booklet with brand-new liner notes by Elvis Costello, rare photos, reproductions of memorabilia, and printed song lyrics. Album includes an entire second disc of bonus material! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Year of the Horse Review

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(More customer reviews)No one has kept the eternal flame of psychedelic rock alive with more sincerity, or longer than Neil Young. Perhaps the artist says it best himself on 'Big Time': "I'm still living the dream we had... for me it's not over". Even if you snicker a bit at the concept, it's obvious that Young still believes in love, peace and understanding, and it's certainly a noble ralling cry to cling to. Those who have abandoned the concept have frequently aspired to much less.
'Year of the Horse' is an underrated live set from Young, panned as lacking enthusiasm (those not familiar with Young may not realize that not every song he writes was intended as an 'ace-in-the-hole' for American Idol), or for retreading old territory by asking, "Do we really need another live version of 'When You Dance', 'Mr. Soul', 'Pocahontas', or 'Sedan Delivery'"? To even modestly addicted Neil fans, the immediate and immutable response is, "YES!". Consider that popular among the more rabid of us are web sites that attempt, with some precision, to detail every song ever performed at every concert by Young (check out the Sugar Mountain web site). Now, that's rabid. The appeal of alternate takes on any Young song becomes especially pertinent since Neil, like his chosen mentors Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix, so frequently reinvents his compositions. On this disc, 'Mr. Soul' is a case in point. Here we have a mid-60's souped up, fuel injected hot rod from Buffalo Springfield that has morphed into an acoustic blues romp, with Neil's 6 strings sounding loose enough to be falling off the guitar with each strum. Young's ode to Hendrix appears at the end of a high octane 'Prisoners Of Rock n' Roll', as he breaks into a psychedelic 'Star Spangled Banner'.
The set list for 'Horse' is remarkably diverse as Neil highlights such gems as 'When You Dance' from 'After the Goldrush', to 'Human Highway' from 'Comes A Time', to 'Sedan Delivery' from 'Rust Never Sleeps', to 'Big Time' and 'Slip Away' from 'Broken Arrow'. In nearly every way Young is "a little bit here and a little bit there", as he sings on 'Scattered'. He wears as many artistic hats as he does real hats these days. In giving Neil a double-disc, Time-Warner invited Young to surely make it seem like four, offering 12 songs from 8 different venues, with textures ranging from the haunting echos of 'When Your Lonely Heart Breaks' to the relentless jackhammer that is 'Sedan Delivery'.
Yet the best number on tap here is the seemingly innocuous 'Barstool Blues' from 1975's 'Zuma' album. This song sits innocently in the setlist until Neil uses it to ambush us like a Viet Cong guerilla, pulling the trigger with ferocity on 'Old Black'. Young has never been a finesse guitarist in the mold of Eric Clapton, or even Stephen Stills (making comparisons between the two rather meaningless). Instead, Neil sculpts sound from his instrument, and he's chiselin' up a storm on 'Barstool Blues'.
The only song I could have lived without is another selection from 'Zuma', 'Dangerbird'. I don't mind the song being heavy, but it's about as deep into depression as Neil goes (which is DEEP), and it's a few fathoms below my own tolerance. But everything else works, and works well, and should be pleasing to Neil fans ranging all the way from novice to completist. In fact, since Neil and the Horse are more consumable coming from the stage than the studio, a specially priced double-disc such as this is a nice way to get a representative sampling of Young's remarkable career.
I suppose if most Young fans had their pick of songs performed on the 1996 US tour, they might want to supplant the retreads with even more diverse selections, such as 'Long May You Run', 'Bite the Bullet', or 'Don't Cry No Tears', but I'm content with leaving Neil in charge and trusting his deejaying. Over the years, he's certainly earned that trust and respect.

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No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: YOUNG,NEIL & CRAZY HORSETitle: YEAR OF THE HORSEStreet Release Date: 06/17/1997

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Rock & Roll Animal Review

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(More customer reviews)The intricate, extensive and sublimely rocking introduction to "Sweet Jane" which opens ROCK & ROLL ANIMAL must have made many of this album's earliest buyers think they'd fallen victim to a record company foul-up. Surely the soaring guitars, thundering bass and tight, swirling drums with which they were confronted couldn't have had anything to do with Lou Reed, legendarily laconic purveyor of atonal drones and decadent, rambling anecdotes. But sure enough, after three and a half minutes all that virtuosic showboating somehow morphed into the beloved Velvet Underground classic, with Reed tossing off his lines in a voice by turns sardonic, indifferent and haunted. The result was, and still is, an album both the hardcore Reed fan and the Reed-hating hard rocker can dig, an eminently successful experiment in classic seventies metal from a man whose prior recordings had firmly established him at the opposite pole of the sonic spectrum.
In truth, however, ANIMAL is less a Lou Reed album than an album of Lou Reed songs as (stunningly) interpreted by what was then Alice Cooper's touring band. The leader's presence here, while significant in establishing the requisite dark, dissipated and druggy ambience, is ultimately more counterpoint than fulcrum. Instead, it's the beautiful picking of guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, Ray Colcord's nightmarish organ runs and the stop-on-a-dime interplay of bassist Prakash John and drummer Pentti Glan that are the real story, offering up post-Allman Brothers reinventions of Velvets nuggets like "Heroin," "White Light, White Heat" and "Rock & Roll" as well as several tracks from Reed's outrageously underrated BERLIN LP. What starts out looking like the most awkward of musical marriages ends up being one of rock's all-time greatest live albums, its dynamism literally unflagging from one end to the other. Recommended for...well, you.

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Italian digitally remastered gold CD reissue of 1974 album, packaged in a digipak. 2001.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Strange Days Review

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(More customer reviews)"Strange Days" was The Doors' sophomore effort, the attempt at bringing back for another round the kind of feverish, poetic magic attained in their classic debut. Few follow-ups have achieved the kind of artistic, sonic accomplishments The Doors got here which is why many consider "Strange Days" their best effort, second only to their first album. Now in light of the 40th anniversary of the band's introduction to the world, Doors engineer Bruce Botnick has taken all their albums and remixed them from the original master tapes, what he achieves here, as with the remastered debut, is a complete resurrection of a classic recording. The album now breathes and screams with fierce energy and detail. The opening title track is now a true gothic opus as the effect of the first synthesizers is better appreciated in Jim Morrison's menacing delivery of a world gone insane. John Densmore's drums are heavy and intense while Ray Manzarek's organ is more defined. "Love Me Two Times" is a ferocious blues rocker with a killer bass now more audible while the creepiness of "Horse Latitudes," a spoken-word piece Morrison wrote in high school, is more striking this time as many of the layered effects are clearer. "Moonlight Drive" has better piano/organ parts. Some purists have been scoffing at the remixing, claiming these are not the same albums. This is a wrong analysis, what Botnick has done is create a more clear, defined piece considering the older recordings suffered from the original technological setbacks of the 60s and in the case of the first album even the speed was off. Solos and instrumentals are easier to hear now and the sound quality is superior to anything previously released. This is the same debate that was sparked in 2002 when "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits" was released and was also bashed for taking the original masters and remixing them. These are the same songs, same vocals, same instrumentals, simply put back together to sound as they were originally intended to sound. "My Eyes Have Seen You For Example" has a sharper bass and piano section. Morrison's voice never plowed under, it is even more ferocious in this mix. The great epic "When The Music's Over" is a glorious powerhouse of musical expression and poetics mixed with rock. Morrison's frantic screams are brought up and Robby Krieger's masterful solo is also more detailed here. The song is a timeless work that is fitting for our current, uncertain times. In it Morrison speaks for a world caught in a war and a youth culture waiting to explode. If only he had known that in the Bush/Iraq era, his words would still be perfect for the times. "Strange Days" itself was originally released in 1968, right when Vietnam was starting to heat-up and more and more young Americans were returning in bodybags as others took to the streets. And yet what sets The Doors apart from other bands of the era is that their music is fitting for all times, all moods, because darkness is an ever present reality. Morrison was ahead of his time, this is more clear now than ever. His black leather-clad image of a wild, poetic frontman has been emulated countless times over, even his stage attitude was a precedent for Iggy Pop and Punk, listen to "Horse Latitudes" and you can see where Patti Smith was spawned. "Strange Days" is one of those great rock n' roll albums that will live on as long as there is music in the world, Jim Morrison will remain an icon for generations of rebels and the sound the Doors produced is set in stone. Now remixed and remastered, this album lives again, more potent, more dangerous than ever.

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STRANGE DAYS, first out in October '67, went to #3 andintroduced the Doors classics "People Are Strange," "Love Me Two Times" and "Strange Days." In-depth liner notes by BarneyHoskyns, co-founder of online rock library Rock's Backpages. Two bonus extras include previously unreleasedversions of "People Are Strange" and "Love Me Two Times."--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Band On The Run Review

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(More customer reviews)Music: 5 stars... Video extras: 4 stars... Historic value: 5 stars... Economic value: 5 stars
I've been a fan of Paul McCartney's post-Beatles output since the early days. I was 13 when this album was released, and it had a HUGE influence on me, and one of the top 5 or 10 albums for me in my lifetime.
This reissue of "Band On the Run" is lavish. CD1 (41 min.) brings the original brilliant 9 tracks of the album and nothing more needs to be said about that. CD2 (9 tracks; 34 min.) kicks off with the "Helen Wheels/Country Dreamer" single, and then brings 7 live tracks from the "One Hand Clapping" movie (more on that later), including a jaw-drapping version of "Nineteen Hundred Eigthy Five", with Paul solo at the piano for the first half of the song, just fantastic. The DVD (85 min.) is a jem, even though it's a bit of a mixed bag. The videos for "Band On the Run" and "Mamunia" are in the Yellow Submarine style, if you follow me. Hadn't seen the video for "Helen Wheels" in forever", a nice addition. But the 15 min. footage of the cover shoot for the album is great. Even better is the 3 min. "Wings in Lagos" bit, bringing home movies from their stay there, and featuring an Eastern-style version of "Band on the Run" I had never heard, completely different but I loved it. Best of all is of course the 50 min. "One Hand Clapping" movie, which I had never seen before. It was shot live in the EMI studios in Fall of 1974 and cover a lot of ground, including (besides the album tracks) such bits as "Soily", "Little Woman Love", "C Moon", "I'll Give You a Ring", etc. The video quality is not always great, but what can you expect from so many years ago? The packaging is well done, with tons of pictures, great liner notes (from Paul Gambaccini, who interviewed Macca back in the day for Rolling Stone), just nice. The edition I bought (at a big box retailer) came with an extra DVD (24 min.), bringing Paul's comments on the reasons for this reissue (which is curiously missing from the 'regular' reissue), and 3 live videos from last year's New York concert DVD, including a great "Mrs. Vanderbilt".
In all, I can't say enough great things about this reissue. I had the good fortune of seeing Sir Paul in concert again in August on the "Up and Coming Tour", and what a show it was. Sir Paul, now 68 if you can believe it, looks and sounds pretty much like 30 years ago, just incredible. In the first half of the show, Sir Paul played mostly Wings/solo stuff, including 5 of the 9 original Band on the Run tracks. I was floored when he played "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five", I never imagined I'd ever see that song played live. Wow, what a fantastic evening of music that was.


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**DELUXE EDITION: 4 disc (3CD, 1DVD) set adds an extraordinary 120-page hard bound book containing many unseen and unpublished photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, a full history of the album complete with a new interview with Paul and expanded track by track information for all four discs. The deluxe edition also includes a special Band on the Run audio documentary (originally produced for the 25th Anniversary edition.)**MPL and the Concord Music Group are pleased to announce the re-release of Paul McCartney & Wings' iconic Band on the Run on November 2nd, 2010.Heralded as one of the greatest albums of all time, the GRAMMY winning, smash # 1 album - originally released December of 1973 - yielded the immortal title track and world-wide hit "Jet" becoming Wings' most successful and celebrated album ever. Paul McCartney personally supervised all aspects of the Band on the Run reissue. The remastering work was done at Abbey Road using the same team who recently remastered the complete Beatles' catalog. Band on the Run will be available in a variety of formats originating with the single disc digitally remastered, essential 9-track STANDARD EDITION. The 3 disc (2CD, 1 DVD) SPECIAL EDITION features nine bonus audio tracks (including the top 10 smash "Helen Wheels"), rare footage of the McCartneys in Lagos and behind-the-scenes at the famous album cover shoot, original Band on the Run promotional video clips, the One Hand Clapping television special (highlighted by studio performances filmed at Abbey Road in 1974) all with beautifully enhanced packaging.Collectors will be especially thrilled by the 4 disc (3CD, 1 DVD) DELUXE EDITION which adds an extraordinary 120-page hard bound book containing many unseen and unpublished photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, a full history of the album complete with a new interview with Paul and expanded track by track information for all four discs. The deluxe edition also includes a special Band on the Run audio documentary (originally produced for the 25th Anniversary edition.)The original remastered album and bonus audio content will also be issued in a 2 disc 180gm audiophile VINYL EDITION that comes with an MP3 download of all 18 tracks.The musical achievement of Band on the Run is nearly matched by the amazing story behind its creation. Intrigued with recording abroad in the summer of 1973, McCartney searched for a list of studios around the world.Spotting one in the remote location of Lagos, Nigeria, he became enthralled with the idea of recording in Africa. Days before departure, lead guitarist Henry McCullough and drummer Denny Seiwell quit the band leaving the entire project to the three core members, Paul, his wife Linda McCartney and band-member Denny Laine (along with recording engineer Geoff Emerick). Recorded in August and September of 1973 (with further work done at AIR Studios in London in October 1973), they persevered through a tumultuous, yet creatively invigorating 2 month recording process battling difficult studio conditions, oppressive heat and a dangerous mugging at knife point. The thieves made off with the demo tapes (among other valuables), forcing the band to record the entire album from memory.Band on the Run triumphed both critically and commercially.The album topped the US album chart 3 separate times, won a Grammy and went on to sell more than 7 million copies.Upon the release of Band on the Run, then Rolling Stone reviewer Jon Landau famously gushed, "The finest record yet released by any of the four musicians who were once called The Beatles."Paul is currently playing five songs from the album on his `Up and Coming Tour'.Live favorites over the last 8 years of touring have included "Jet", "Band on the Run" and "Let Me Roll It".In 2008 when Paul played a free outdoor show to over 500,000 people in Kiev, a Ukrainian poll listed "Mrs Vandebilt" as their all time favorite Paul McCartney song. It's been included in the set ever since.At the start of this tour Paul added "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" to the set.Band on the Run marks the first release from the Paul McCartney Archive Collection, an ambitious reissue program that encompasses 40 years of cherished, classic material from the most successful songwriter and recording artist in music history. It's also the initial physical release of the recently announced agreement between McCartney's MPL and Concord Music Group to globally market and distribute McCartney's venerated solo and Wings catalog.

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Let It Bleed Review

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(More customer reviews)There was only one version of Let It Bleed. This is it. It was released simultaneously in the UK and US on Dec 5, 1969. The Stones had the guts to leave off their July megahit Honky Tonk Woman and instead (much to the chagrin of record company execs) put a countrified satire of their own hit on the album. The Let It Bleed sessions also produced 3 of their finest works that are not on the album (Honky Tonk Woman, Sweet Virginia, and Sister Morphine).
The album contains a huge chunk of the work that made the band famous for this era....Gimme Shelter, Love in Vain, Let It Bleed, Midnight Rambler, and You Can't Always Get What You Want have all pretty much defined not only the Stones but this era of English-speaking history to the world. The album is a staple in every serious rock collection.....it's that simple.
The album has several notable facts:
.....Brian Jones died the same day the last tracks were recorded in London
.....M.C. Escher and photographer Man Ray were both invited to design the cover (they declined)
.....it includes the 1st song not sung by Mick - You Got The Silver, sung by Keith (Mick's version was left in the can)
.....Gimme Shelter was written by Keith while he waited in his car for girlfriend Anita Pallenberg who was starring with Mick (and actually making love instead of only acting) on the set of Performance
.....the Stones have long been accused of stealing many of the song bits from Ry Cooder who was involved in the early sessions and laid down basic tracks that developed into many of the songs
The tracks were recorded between Feb 9 and Jul 2, 1969 at Olympic Sound, London, with final mixing done at Sunset Sound and Elektra Studios in L.A. between Oct 18 and Nov 3. You Can't Always Get What You Want dates slightly earlier, first recorded on Nov 17, 1968 at Olympic with Al Kooper on French horn, producer Jimmy Miller on drums instead of Charlie, and the 35 member London Bach Choir. In addition to the 9 tracks that made the album, the Let It Bleed sessions also produced:
.....the entire jam session on April 23, 1969 that became the album Jammin' With Edward
.....Honky Tonk Woman (released as a single - Mick Taylor's 1st session with the band)
.....All Down The Line (released on Exile On Main Street)
.....Stop Breaking Down (released on Exile On Main Street)
.....Sweet Virginia (released on Exile On Main Street)
.....Shine A Light (released on Exile On Main Street)
.....Loving Cup (released on Exile On Main Street)
.....Sister Morphine (released on Sticky Fingers)
This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection.

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MAGIC BUS (ON TOUR) (BLUE VINYL) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is not a live album, as the title might lead one to believe; instead it is a collection of relatively obscure singles and B-sides. After the Who's success in America with the single "Magic Bus," the record company hastily threw together a mishmash of odds and ends. This album, released in 1968, is what resulted. The songs are a mixed bag, ranging from classics like "Pictures of Lily" to silliness like "Bucket T."
"I Can't Reach You" and "Our Love Was (Is)", both of which are great, come from "The Who Sell Out." (This album is the only place you can find a version of "Our Love Was" with a clean intro; that is, no crossfade from a previous song.)
Five more songs can be found on the remastered "A Quick One." "Disguises" has a very different mix from that on the box set and reissues. "Run Run Run" is a good song about a perpetually unlucky girl, and "Someone's Coming" and "Doctor, Doctor" are strange-but-fun John Entwistle compositions. "Bucket T." is the Who's attempt at Beach Boys-type material (Keith Moon's favorite song was "Don't Worry Baby.")
"Magic Bus" and "Pictures of Lily" (both excellent songs) are on "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy," which is a much more solid compilation. This leaves "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," a fun little song only available on this album, which is supposedly about Keith Moon's behavior when he was drinking. And a version of "Call Me Lightning" without lead guitar shows up here.
In short, this is an interesting, but extremely uneven compilation of songs. In addition, the sound is pretty poor. After the recent remasters, most of the songs on this album show up elsewhere, making it unnecessary for all but serious fans. And the running time is just 30 minutes, making it a bad value.
For the completist, this album might be worthwhile. But for casual fans, just get "Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy" and "The Who Sell Out" for much more solid pieces from the same era.

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Here we have a timely re-issue of the classic who album, "magic bus". Definately one for those of you who want a life-changing experience!!

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Some Girls Review

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(More customer reviews)Some Girls was originally released June 9, 1978, it went to #1 in the US and #2 in the UK. This is their best selling album ever (>8,000,000 copies to date). Although the Stones seemed to be on somewhat of a female bashing kick (and certainly aroused intense ire among feminist groups) with their billboards for Black and Blue and the album cover for some Girls (which produced lawsuits and a revised cover), the sessions for Some Girls were the most productive the Band would ever have and saved the Stones from oblivion. The album included not only the superhit Miss You (their first #1 hit in 7 years), but Beast Of Burden (Keith's tender last love song to Anita Pallenberg), When The Whip Comes Down, Shattered, Before They Make Me Run, Respectable, and Just My Imagination. Most people know the music, so in my reviews I try to give you data on the sessions and interesting facts connected with the songs and the album. Here we go:
Interesting notes include:
.....the most famous story about Some Girls concerns the cut-out cover which originally had images of Lucille Ball, Raquel Welch, Farrah Fawcett, and Sophia Loren, all of whom threatened legal action, causing a revised cover to be released (both the original and revised covers from the original vinyl album are easily available on e-bay and in vinyl shops)
.....the original album cover was issued in 3 different color variations
.....Keith argued (and won) to have Start It Up removed from the album because he was afraid he had copied the main riff from the radio (it turned out it was his own licks he had heard)
.....when asked by a reporter why the name Some Girls had been chosen, Keith replied, "Because we can't remember their (freak)ing names!"
.....the first Stones disco mix was made by Bob Clearmountain from a tape of Miss You
The sessions for Some Girls were the most productive the Stones would ever have. They started in Paris Oct 10, 1977 and ended Mar 2, 1978 with final mixing at Atlantic Studios in New York Mar 15-31, 1978. The sessions were:
Oct 10 - Dec 21, 1977 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris
.....Miss You (Mick on guitar)
.....When The Whip Comes Down (Mick on guitar)
.....Just My Imagination (Mick on guitar)
.....Some Girls (Sugar Blue on harmonica, Keith on bass & acoustic, Ron on acoustic, Mick on guitar, Bill Wyman on synthesizer)
.....Lies (Mick on guitar)
.....Far Away Eyes (Mick & Keith on piano, Ron on pedal steel)
.....Respectable (Mick on guitar)
.....Beast Of Burden
.....Shattered (Ron on bass, pedal steel, and lead guitar)
Jan 5 - Mar 2, 1978 at Pathe Marconi/EMI Studios in Paris
.....Before They Make Me Run
Everything Is Turning To Gold was also recorded (it was released as a B side and special collections track).
Tracks from these sessions that were never released included the famous Claudine (which was never released because it was sure to cause litigation from Claudine Longet after she was reprieved from killing her boyfriend), plus Everlasting Is My Love, Covered In Bruises, Indian Girl, Misty Roads, Jah Is Not Dead, We Had It All, Fiji Gin, I Can't Help It, Do You Think I Care, The Way She Held Me Tight, I Need You, Let's Go Steady, Petrol, No Spare Parts, You Win Again, It's A Lie, It's All Wrong, Never Let Her Go, Never Make You Cry, Not The Way To Go, Biscuit Blues, Disco Music, When You're Gone, Angeline.
This information comes from "It's Only Rock And Roll: The Ultimate Guide To The Rolling Stones" by Karnbach and Bernson and from my own collection.

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Joshua Tree (Remastered / Expanded) (Super Deluxe Edition) (2CD/DVD) Review

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(More customer reviews)Nearly 21 years after the original release of The Joshua Tree, the CD version of the album has finally gotten its due. In what must be considered an embarrassment of packaging riches, this new "Super Deluxe" 20th Anniversary Edition of the album more than does justice to the original album art (poorly served on previous CD releases), and the music has been given a spanking new mastering, supervised by none other than The Edge. The "Super Deluxe" edition comes in a sturdy, 6" x 8" x 1.5" box with fully restored cover art. Inside is a 56 page hardcover book containing liner notes, lyrics, pictures, single-sleeve art, technical information, and a number of essays, including ones by Bono, Daniel Lanois, Adam Clayton, Anton Corbijn, Brian Eno, and The Edge. An embossed envelope contains five more Corbijn photos, printed on 5" x 7" sheets of textured, "antique" paper. The three discs all come in their own mini-LP gatefold sleeves: the album disc is in a quasi replica of the original LP sleeve, whereas the bonus CD and DVD are in similar sleeves featuring alternate photos. No detail has been overlooked - even the CD labels are patterned after the spindle label on the original LP. This is a truly "super deluxe" package.
But what about the sound? While the original 1987 mastering was never great, much of what has been lambasted over the years as murky sound is really intrinsic to the original recording and/or mix. It is important to note that this is a remastered version of the original mix, not a remixed version of the original session tapes. Thus, the overall qualities of the original mix remain, such as dense atmospherics and an ambient soundscape. However, this version definitely improves matters. The volume is roughly 50% greater than on the original mastering, and the continual tape hiss that was present even in between tracks on the original CD has been removed. (Some hiss intrinsic to the original analog tapes remains, but is greatly reduced from the original mastering.) Overall, instrumental textures are fuller, and bass response is improved. Audiophiles will also be happy to note that a visual analysis of the waveforms reveals no clipping. Comparison between this release and the mastering on Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab's Gold Ultradisc II release (out of print) reveals very little difference between the two. Whatever differences are present are extremely subtle, and a judgment as to which version presents better sound becomes more a matter of splitting atoms than splitting hairs. Generally speaking, though, all but the most critical and particular listeners can feel confident they are getting the best sounding version of this album yet released with this new mastering.
The 14-track bonus audio disc contains a number of b-sides and unused tracks from the period that have previously been available elsewhere, but have never been collected in one place before. Six of the fourteen tracks were either previously unreleased or were very rare prior to this release. The songs range from excellent to barely worthy of release ("Drunk Chicken"), but are all worth having if you are any sort of completist. For those who have always imagined that The Joshua Tree was the best double album never made (an erroneous notion, as Edge makes clear in his essay), the bonus disc provides them the perfect opportunity to construct their own version of the fabled opus.
The concert presented on the DVD goes a good distance toward filling a gap that has existed in the U2 catalog for the last two decades - namely the absence of a full-length concert video from The Joshua Tree Tour. This video (the liner notes say it was filmed, but industrial-size video cameras are clearly visible onstage) features the entire concert U2 performed in the Paris Hippodrome on July 4, 1987, minus three cover songs (the concert openers "Stand By Me" and "C'Mon Everybody," and a rendition of "Help!" that they played between "Electric Co." and "Bad"). The band is in top form, playing a classic lineup of their songs, many of which have not been heard on later tours. Notably, they did not perform "Where the Streets Have No Name" at this concert, an omission that occurred a number of times on the European leg of the tour. The video direction is refreshingly plain, avoiding the overly moody lighting Phil Joanou employed in Rattle and Hum (the Paris footage was directed by Gavin Taylor), and without the short-attention-span jump cuts of the band's recent concert videos. The sound is an excellent LPCM stereo mix - not surround, it's true, but every bit as good as you would expect from a live album on CD. The sound is actually better than either the live tracks on the Rattle and Hum CD, or the fan club only release of the 1989/1990 New Year's concert at the Point Depot.
The documentary, "Outside it's America," basically plays like Rattle and Hum's little brother, only in color and not as well shot - and, frankly, not as interesting. On the other hand, it does not have the myth-making posturing that so marred Rattle and Hum. Both this documentary and the concert video show a more human, down-to-earth, less "god like" side of the band. Still, the documentary has a lot of footage that will likely be of interest to die-hard fans only. (It is worth noting that the documentary was directed by Barry Devlin and Meiert Avis, not Phil Joanou, and therefore is not an assemblage of rejected Rattle and Hum footage, as has been speculated elsewhere.) The two music videos are fair makeweights, but are hardly essential. The selling point of the DVD is without question the concert video, which many fans will find invaluable, making this set an easy choice over the two-disc Deluxe edition.
On the whole, this is an outstanding issue that more than makes good on its promises. Thoroughly recommended.

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The 3 disc box-set format contains The Joshua Tree CD, the bonus audio CD, and a Bonus DVD.This package also includes a 56 page hardback embossed book, featuring previously unseen Anton Corbijn photos, handwritten lyrics by Bono and liner notes by Bill Flanagan, Bono, Adam Clayton, Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Anton Corbijn, Steve Averill, David Batstone, René Castro and a special essay by The Edge. Content for the Bonus DVD:U2 Live from Paris - filmed at the Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris, on July 4 1987, on the European leg of The Joshua Tree tour.

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Eliminator Review

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(More customer reviews)Released on LP and Cassette in March 1983 on Warner Brothers, the blues boogie of "Eliminator" was an absolute phenomenon for the Texas trio ZZ Top.
They'd been bubbling under for years - "La Grange" in 1973, "Tush" in 1975 - and a minor hit with "I Thank You" in 1980. But none of it even remotely indicated what would happen in 1983 and 1984. "Eliminator" - one of the best boogie albums ever made - changed everything for them and us - it was little short of absolute global domination.
It was a combination of things - the umpteen tracks that were all single/radio friendly hits, the emergence of rotation MTV, the videos with leggy sexy babes - the fabulous 1933 coupe car - the ZZ TOP keyring flying through the air to the hapless buck trying to be a 'sharp dressed man' - the image of dusty dudes with beards - all of it combined in one heady mix to produce domestic sales in the USA topping 10 million with the same number estimated for the rest of the world. And if you take into account second-hand sales since that heady time 25 years ago and an early issue on CD, you're looking at a "Rumours", a "Purple Rain" and a "Thriller". This September 2008 (delayed release) has it good points and bad though...
Here's the layout first:
Disc 1 (78:27 minutes)
Tracks 1 to 11 are the album REMASTERED in its entirety with the original lengthier mix of "Legs" at 4:34 minutes re-instated for the first time (it was replaced after initial pressings by the shorter single mix of 3:37 minutes)
Tracks 12 to 18 are bonus tracks; 12 is the single mix of "Legs"; 13 to 17 are 5 previously unreleased live tracks (13, 14, 16 and 17 recorded at Castle Donington Festival in Leicestershire in England, while 15 was recorded at The Marquee Club in London - no dates supplied)
Track 18 is the 12" "Dance Mix" of "Legs"
The remastering of the album is FANTASTIC - muscular, in your living room, detailed - all that it should have been these last two and half decades. I've waited years to hear "I Need You Tonight" in this sound quality and it was worth it. But the really bad news is the audio bonus tracks, which are a huge letdown. The live versions have what is laughably called `audio restoration' on them - they sound like rubbish bootleg recordings - someone standing in a field with a microphone held up (Donnington was exactly that - a vast field). The truly awful extended mix of "Legs" was on the box set anyway - unlistenable then and the same now. Worse - there are single edits of "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man", but maddeningly they're not included here - they should have been - it would have been far more appropriate to a supposed `collector's edition'. Also there's nothing new worth hearing - no outtakes, alternatives, no demos, no new songs - nothing. Really disappointing stuff I'm afraid. The album is great, but the supposed bonuses are awful.
Things fare better on the 2nd disc, an 8-track DVD. First up are the 4 famous videos that broke the album with a worldwide TV audience and their inclusion on this `special edition' is only right and proper - they were such an integral part of the "Eliminator" experience. The prints are clean, but unfortunately blurry in that cheap 1980s kind of a way. They're fun to re-watch, but not much more than that. Things get considerably better with tracks 5 to 8, which are professionally filmed studio performances. They were recorded live in front of a studio audience on 17 November 1983 for one the UK's popular pop programs of the time - "The Tube". The sound and visuals are great and while the vocals are live, I'm fairly sure some tweaking has been done to beef up the sound. Whatever way you look at it - this is primo ZZ TOP and makes up somewhat for the disappointing crap that is tail-ending the Audio CD. Fans will really enjoy these.
The packaging isn't great either - a gatefold digipak with a 20-page booklet. The layers under the see-through trays have no photos of singles - outtakes - they're blank - pretty crappy really. The car's pictured a couple of times, lyrics reproduced, a basic essay on the album - but no real event feel to it - no live shots - no interesting formats pictured - fan stuff left out - it's basic really, when it could have been so much better.
In truth, you'd have to say that if Rhino had just issued the remaster of the album with the single edits and the 12" mix added on at the end - then that would have been so much better. As it is, you're being asked to spend ?13 to ?16 on a package that smacks of laziness and greed - and worse - leaves you with a bad taste in the mouth - an underwhelming experience that should have been a real celebration of a really great album...
To sum up - fantastic remaster of the album, good stuff on the DVD, but docked a star for the rubbish filler at the end of Disc 1.

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ZZ TOP' s 1983 masterpiece Eliminator illustrates their cultural evolution fired up with boogie and synths, the disc was both timeless Top and perfectly of-the- moment. It hit #9 in Billboard®, remained on the Hot 100 for three years and was one of the first albums to be certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales of over 10 million. At the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, Legs took Best Group Video and Sharp Dressed Man won Best Direction. As this classic album hits its 25-year mark, Rhino pays its respects with a Texas-sized CD + DVD Collector's Edition.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Fables of the Reconstruction Review

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(More customer reviews)I remember the day I bought Fables. Late spring '85, a gray sky overhead with intermittent sprinkles falling, a downpour could have come at any moment, it seemed. I was outdoors, riding a ten speed five miles to the record store on release day to buy the new album by R.E.M., which had become my new favorite band after a college friend of mine introduced me to their music the summer before... Reckoning, which I loved immediately, purchased, and promptly wore the cassette out. Murmur, just the same... bought it on vinyl, made two cassette copies for myself just in case the vinyl wore out. There was such a magic about this band: the sublime melodies, the mysterious lyrics and vocals, so hypnotic you just had to listen repeatedly, yet you could never tire of hearing the songs. I had heard advance rumblings that this album was a departure from Murmur and Reckoning, and as soon as "Feeling Gravity's Pull" resonated through the headphones as I began the journey homeward (thankfully the rain did not come) it was indeed true... this was a departure. The drone of cellos, the murky aura, the downcast nature of the majority of the songs was a far cry from the generally bright and upbeat Reckoning and the rock-folk-punkiness of Murmur. But I loved it anyway, and wore out the cassette as well, and replaced it with the CD as soon as I could afford a player (they were still quite expensive in those days).I went on to purchase every R.E.M. album that followed, and after all of the years that have passed, through all of their stylistic twists and turns, Fables is the one R.E.M. album that still takes me to another place, stirs my emotions more than any of the others, even the equally somber Automatic For The People. There is distance, desperation, and longing in so many of these songs, "Feeling Gravity's Pull", "Maps And Legends", "Life And How To Live It", "Old Man Kensey", "Green Grow The Rushes", "Good Advices", and "Wendell Gee" that transcends most anything else you will hear. You can just feel the loneliness of a band that was in a dreary place during the sessions, far away from home (England), through Stipe's vocals, Buck's yearning guitar jangle, and Mills' aching harmony vocals. And you feel along with them...in fact, I still often shed tears during "Good Advices" when I hear "Home is a long way away...", the vocals are so full of loneliness you can't help but cry sometimes.Some people think of the South when they listen to this album. Yes, it does have that sound. When I listen to it, I tend to think of gray rainy days, regrets I may have, separation from the ones I love, and a longingness to go back home, wherever I may be.

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