Asia - Asia (1982) [Vinyl Rip]

Year: 18 March 1982 (LP 24 Jun, 1982)
Label: Suzy Records (Yugoslavia), 85577, CB 1271
Style: Pop Rock, Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 44:20
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 296 Mb

Asia are an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful line-up was its original, which consisted of four members of different progressive rock bands of the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton of King Crimson and U.K., guitarist Steve Howe of Yes, keyboardist Geoff Downes of Yes and The Buggles, and drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their debut album, Asia, released in 1982, remains their best selling album and went to number one in several countries. The lead single from the album, "Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets and peaking in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

The band underwent multiple line-up changes before the original four members reunited in 2006. As a result, a band called Asia Featuring John Payne exists as a continuation of John Payne's career as Asia's frontman from 1991 until Wetton's return in 2006. In 2013, the original line-up was broken once again when Howe retired from the band and was replaced by guitarist Sam Coulson. After a few years of inactivity, Billy Sherwood (of Yes, World Trade and Circa:) replaced an ailing Wetton (who died shortly thereafter) in Asia for a summer 2017 tour with Journey. Following the end of the tour, the band went on hiatus again, re-emerging in 2019 with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal replacing both Sherwood on vocals and Coulson on guitar.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_(band))

01. A1 Heat Of The Moment (03:52)

02. A2 Only Time Will Tell (04:49)

03. A3 Sole Survivor (04:52)

04. A4 One Step Closer (04:18)

05. A5 Time Again (04:46)

06. B1 Wildest Dreams (05:08)

07. B2 Without You (05:08)

08. B3 Cutting It Fine (05:41)

09. B4 Here Comes The Feeling (05:42)

TurboBit          KatFile          GigaPeta

Yngwie Malmsteen - Fire & Ice (1992) CD

Year: 7 February 1992 (CD 1992)
Label: Elektra Records (Europe), 7559-61137-2
Style: Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Country: Stockholm, Sweden (30 June 1963)
Time: 64:45
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 439 Mb

After the disappointment that was Eclipse, Malmsteen comes back with Fire and Ice and, sadly, the same formula is used here. The excess on this record is big; as this is the first album that surpasses the hour mark and the first in which he opens with an instrumental. You just feel that the songs are a platform for Malmsteen to prove that he is a great guitarist. Unlike his 80's output, the songs on Fire and Ice have a hard rock style with very little catchiness.

The performances are what we should expect from musicians playing with Malmsteen. There is nothing to complain on this department as the album is filled with guitar leads that only Malmsteen can provide. Fire and Ice is the last release with singer Goran Edman, and he is improved from Eclipse. The problem with him is that he still lacks the necessary power and personality, adding very little to the songs - though there are no performances like in "Motherless Child", he is much more consistent here.

There is some good stuff here like: "C'est la vie" in which Malmsteen uses a sitar, "How Many Miles to Babylon", "Forever is a Long Time" and the leads on the title track. However we have heard this many times and done better to boot. At the end of the day Fire and Ice is not an easy record to digest, making it a chore to listen to all the way through. If Malmsteen could have trimmed it down 20 minutes or so we would have a great record; instead as it stands this is a slightly above average album.

(www.metalcrypt.com/pages/review.php?revid=4739; reviewed by Hermer Arroyo; March 29, 2009)

01. Perpetual (04:14)

02. Dragonfly (04:49)

03. Teaser (03:29)

04. How Many Miles To Babylon (06:10)

05. Cry No More (05:17)

06. No Mercy (05:32)

07. C'est La Vie (05:19)

08. Leviathan (04:24)

09. Fire And Ice (04:31)

10. Forever Is A Long Time (04:28)

11. I'm My Own Enemy (06:09)

12. All I Want Is Everything (04:02)

13. Golden Dawn (01:28)

14. Final Curtain (04:46)

TurboBit          KatFile           GigaPeta

Rory Gallagher - Irish Tour '74 (1974) CD

Year: 21 July 1974 (CD 24.08.2005)
Label: RCA / Capo / BMG Records (Japan), BVCM-37642
Style: Blues Rock, Hard Rock
Country: Cork, Ireland (2 March 1948 - 14 June 1995)
Time: 71:49
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 503 Mb

Born: Mar 2, 1949 in Ballyshannon, Ireland

Died: Jun 14, 1995 in London, England

Genres: Blues

Styles: British Blues, Blues-Rock

Instruments: Slide Guitar, Vocals, Harmonica, Guitar

For a career that was cut short by illness and a premature death, guitarist, singer and songwriter Rory Gallagher sure accomplished a lot in the blues music world. Although Gallagher didn't tour the U.S. nearly enough, spending most of his time in Europe, he was known for his no-holds-barred, marathon live shows at clubs and theaters around the United States.

Gallagher was born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Irish Republic on March 2, 1949. He passed away from complications owing to liver transplant surgery on June 14, 1995, at age 46. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cork City in the south, and at age nine, he became fascinated with American blues and folk singers he heard on the radio. An avid record collector, he had a wide range of influences including Leadbelly, Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. Gallagher would always try to mix some simple country blues songs onto his recordings.

Gallagher began his recording career after moving to London, when he formed a trio called Taste. The group's self-titled debut album was released in 1969 in England and later picked up for U.S. distribution by Atco/Atlantic. Between 1969 and 1971, with producer Tony Colton behind the board, Gallagher recorded three albums with the group before they split up. Gallagher began performing under his own name in 1971, after recording his 1970 debut, Rory Gallagher for Polydor Records in the UK. The album was picked up for U.S. distribution by Atlantic Records, and later that year he recorded Deuce, also released by Atlantic in the U.S.

His prolific output continued, as he followed up Deuce with Live in Europe (1972) and Blueprint and Tatoo, both in 1973. Irish Tour 1974, like Live in Europe, did a good job of capturing the excitement of his live shows on tape, and he followed that with Calling Card for Chrysalis in 1976, and Photo Finish and Jinx for the same label in 1978 and 1982. By this point Gallagher had made several world tours, and he took a few years rest from the road. He got back into recording and performing live again with the 1987 release (in the U.K.) of Defender. His last album, Fresh Evidence, was released in 1991 on the Capo/I.R.S. label. Capo was his own record and publishing company that he set up in the hopes of eventually exposing other great blues talents.

Some of Gallagher's best work on record wasn't under his own name, it's stuff he recorded with Muddy Waters on The London Sessions (Chess, 1972) and with Albert King on Live (RCA/Utopia). Gallagher made his last U.S. tours in 1985 and 1991, and admitted in interviews that he'd always been a guitarist who fed off the instant reaction and feedback a live audience can provide.

In a 1991 interview, he told this writer: "I try to sit down and write a Rory Gallagher song, which generally happens to be quite bluesy. I try to find different issues, different themes and different topics that haven't been covered before...I've done songs in all the different styles...train blues, drinking blues, economic blues. But I try to find a slightly different angle on all these things. The music can be very traditional, but you can sort of creep into the future with the lyrics."

For a good introduction to Gallagher's unparalleled prowess as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, pick up Irish Tour 1974, Calling Card or Fresh Evidence, all available on compact disc.

(www.mymusicbase.ru/PPB/ppb11/Bio_1195.htm; Richard Skelly; All Music Guide)

01. Cradle Rock (07:38)

02. I Wonder Who (07:52)

03. Tattoo'd Lady (05:04)

04. Too Much Alcohol (08:30)

05. As The Crow Flies (06:02)

06. A Million Miles Away (09:29)

07. Walk On Hot Coals (11:13)

08. Who's That Coming (10:05)

09. Back On My Stompin' Ground (After Hours) (05:18)

10. Maritime (00:33)

TurboBit           KatFile          GigaPeta

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - The Paul Butterfield Blues Band (1965) CD

Year: October 1965 (CD 1987)
Label: Elektra Records (U.S.), 7294-2
Style: Blues Rock, Blues, Harmonica Blues
Country: Chicago, Illinois, U.S. (December 17, 1942 - May 4, 1987)
Time: 38:07
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 239 Mb

Seen in context, this is the album that, way back in 1965, brought the sound of the blues and that of R&B – from the perspective of the club scene operating in the wilder parts of Chicago – to the many, mainly, white ears (to borrow a phrase from The Clash’s many years into the future nugget ‘White Man In Hammersmith Palais’) who wanted to listen in, or at least wanted to check out just what was that electrifying sound that lots of folks were beginning to cotton onto; in light of the ongoing success of British-based acts like the phenomenal Rolling Stones, Animals and Yardbirds who had been at pains to give recognition and heap praise upon the original American blues players and writers. So anyway, Butterfileld’s Blues Band were formed around harmonica man and lead singer Paul Butterfield, and his guitarist friend Elvin Bishop, persuading some of Howlin’ Wolf’s rhythm section,including drummer Sam Lay, to join them for some live club gigs. It’s said that Paul Rothschild of Elektra records saw them and swiftly signed them on board. These were the first results of a career that lasted until 1971. The bulk of the lead guitar parts on this debut album, however, were played by new recruit Mike Bloomfield, with Billy Davenport substituting for the ailing Sam Lay, but, nonetheless, what they produced back then hinged upon a fairly robust round-up of such classics of the genre that included the likes of ‘Mellow Down Easy’, ‘I Got My Mojo Working’, ‘Mystery Train’ and ‘Shake You Money-Maker’. Although if I’m being honest , and despite the virtuosity on display, especially the obvious skills of Bloomfield – although I find he overplays sometimes and can be far too overwhelming and bombastic at times – I’d say these are, on the whole, pretty non-extraordinary interpretations compared to some scorching versions heard over the years: The Misunderstood, The Druids of Stonehenge and a few more names besides… ; but that’s what I was meaning earlier about putting things into context …

In addition to these mostly up-beat selections, there are some items of the torturous ballad variety also in evidence, foremost among them ‘Last Night’ and ‘Blues With A Feeling’. For sheer harmonica joy and guitar enlightenment, however, I’d perhaps pick ‘Screamin’ and ‘Our Love Is Drifting’ over any others.

For better or worse, the Butterfield’s definitely pointed the way forward a lot of the time, their song selections wrapped in a great, raw sound blanket, through which one can easily catch a glimpse of the future in some of the extended, San Francisco ballroom-style guitar heroics that occasionally and insidiously slide into the mix. But tiny portholes into what would constitute some strands of US psychedelia aside, I’m still not all that convinced, and find a lot of what’s on offer just that little bit too, dare I say it, pedestrian. Maybe I’d change my opinion on another day, perhaps while listening on a cold winter’s night, but at present, on a sunnysummer morning...

(Review made by Lenny Helsing. 2013. psychedelicbabymag.com/2013/07/paul-butterfield-blues-band-pau.html)

01. Born In Chicago (03:08)

02. Shake Your Moneymaker (02:28)

03. Blues With A Feeling (04:24)

04. Thank You Mr. Poobah (04:07)

05. I Got My Mojo Working (03:34)

06. Mellow Down Easy (02:51)

07. Screamin' (04:36)

08. Our Love Is Drifting (03:34)

09. Mystery Train (02:36)

10. Last Night (04:18)

11. Look Over Yonders Wall (02:26)

TurboBit         KatFile         GigaPeta

Grand Funk Railroad - Phoenix (1972) CD

Year: September 15, 1972 (CD 2002)
Label: Capitol Records (Europe), 72435-41723-2-8
Style: Hard Rock, Rock
Country: Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Time: 46:39
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 302 Mb

No, I'm not a Grand Funk fan yet, not by a long shot. But the group is getting better, and even the recent management hassles it has been going through have not dampened the gradual improvement in its musicality.

True enough, much of the space here is devoted to the kind of heavy-bottomed, simple-minded interpretation of the music of earlier, better groups (like Cream and the Rolling Stones) that has been the sum and substance of earlier Grand Funk outings. But there are also a few pleasant moments of acoustic gentleness, some good harmonica playing from Mark Farner, and the beginning of a feeling for textures in Don Brewer's drumming.

Not a lot to brag about, and for all the Grand Funk fans who are dashing to their typewriters at this very moment to send me the usual murder threats, it really won't make much difference. For those folks, the hotly-hyped trio can do no wrong. But for this listener, one step up may be a small one, but it's one worth making, and worth noting as well, nonetheless.

(Don Heckman, Stereo Review, 1/73)

Grand Funk have by now attained an almost permanent place in rock's hierarchy. They have legions of devoted, ready followers at every performance and lining up to buy their every album. Disappointing no one, and perhaps surprising a few, is the actual musicaI intelligence that is apparent on most of this album. Utilization of the wizardry of Doug Kershaw is an unexpected delight. The single "Rock 'n' Roll Soul" included.

(Billboard, 1972.)

If nothing else, this latest Grand Funk offering should be given an award for best biographical album of the year.

Whether Funk, like the Phoenix, will be able to soar from its ashes or have to crawl for a time looking for a take-off area, will be determined by future albums, not this one. Which is not to say this is a bad album. It is, to date, their best.

The most important differences in the group, and the music, are the addition of Craig Frost as permanent keyboard player and the elimination of an outside producer.

As passe as the organ may be as a viable instrument in contemporary music, Frost fills dozens of holes that have long been notorious in Funk arrangements. Not all of them, mind you, just some. Mark Farner also does a little over-zealous organ work on "Flight Of The Phoenix," an otherwise good-timey piece, neatly accentuated by Doug Kershaw's electric fiddle.

There is a certain looseness to this album that is perhaps created through the knowledge that the project belongs to Grand Funk alone. Farner, Brewer & Schacher brought it through composition to production and they are obviously pleased with themselves. No need thinking that material is totally different than what has gone before. The teeth-grinding guitar and drum solos still dominate, but they are softened slightly by Funk's much-improved harmony.

Phoenix is, by no means, a great album. It is, however, good enough to warrant the attention of all of us who previously ignored the name Grand Funk. If this is an indication of what we can expect from now on, we may even get to like them.

(Pat Baird, Words & Music, 1/73.)

01. Flight Of The Phoenix (03:38)

02. Trying To Get Away (04:11)

03. Someone (04:04)

04. She Got To Move Me (04:48)

05. Rain Keeps Fallin' (03:25)

06. I Just Gotta Know (03:52)

07. So You Won't Have To Die (03:21)

08. Freedom Is For Children (06:06)

09. Gotta Find Me A Better Day (04:07)

10. Rock 'N' Roll Soul (03:40)

11. Flight Of The Phoenix (2002 Remix with Extended Ending) (05:21)

TurboBit          KatFile         GigaPeta

Primal Scream - Primal Scream (1989) CD

Year: 4 September 1989 (CD 1996)
Label: Creation Records (Europe), CRECD 054, SCR 484208 2
Style: Alternative Rock, Garage Rock
Country: Glasgow, Scotland (1982–present)
Time: 32:41
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 185 Mb

The line-up that achieved so much success in 1991 comprised Bobby Gillespie (22 June 1964, Glasgow, Scotland; vocals), Andrew Innes (guitar), Robert Young (guitar), Henry Olsen (bass), Philip ‘Toby’ Tomanov (drums), Martin Duffy (organ, ex-Felt) and backing vocalist Denise Johnson (b. 31 August 1966, Manchester, Lancashire, England), but Primal Scream had been a fluctuating affair since the early 80s. Gillespie was the centrifugal force throughout, recording several low-key tracks with guitarist Jim Beattie while still serving as stand-up drummer in the nascent Jesus And Mary Chain. The line-up of Gillespie, Beattie, Young (their bass player at this point), Tom McGurk (drums) and Martin St. John (percussion) released ‘All Fall Down’ on Creation Records in May 1985. Further line-up changes ensued before the band achieved notoriety via the New Musical Express’ alternative C86 cassette compilation, which featured a former b-side, ‘Velocity Girl’, an 80-second romp through the richer pastures of 60s guitar pop. Guitarist Innes was brought in to play on 1987’s poorly received Sonic Flower Groove, a collection of melodic pop songs which was released on the short-lived Elevation label.

(full version: www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Primal-Scream.html)

It is a beautiful day, the last sunshine of the year putting a spring in the step of Bobby Gillespie, waifish ringmaster of Primal Scream, who is dressed, none the less, all in black: black skinny jeans, black T-shirt, long black hair, only streaks of grey making him look any older than he did 20 years ago. He's in expansive form, too, talking up the task that he and his co-conspirators – childhood friend Andrew Innes and the rest of the band; long-time friend Alan McGee, their old manager, of sorts, and record label boss; Andrew Weatherall and others – set themselves amid the last gasp of freedom for independents in the record industry, in the final days of Thatcherism and in the chemical haze of acid house.

"I honestly felt we were redeeming rock'n'roll," says the 48-year-old. "I know it sounds ridiculous, right? But my attitude was that rock'n'roll should be a celebratory, euphoric, ecstatic experience. High energy. Ram-a-lama! I felt that rock had become too inward and it was maybe a bit too serious. I felt that what we were doing at that point was what rock'n'roll should be, except it was modern, it was futuristic."

(full version: www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/31/primal-scream-screamadelica-live)

01. Ivy Ivy Ivy (03:06)

02. You're Just Dead Skin To Me (04:21)

03. She Power (03:31)

04. You're Just To Dark To Care (03:10)

05. I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have (05:10)

06. Gimme Gimme Teenage Head (02:30)

07. Lone Star Girl (03:14)

08. Kill The King (03:30)

09. Sweet Pretty Thing (02:20)

10. Jesus Can't Save Me (01:45)

KatFile          TurboBit           GigaPeta

Steeler (Yngwie Malmsteen) - Steeler (1983) CD

Year: 1983 (CD 1988)
Label: Shrapnel Records (U.S.), SH-1007cd
Style: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Country: Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. (1981–1984)
Time: 36:55
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 231 Mb

Steeler is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band of the same name, released in 1983. It was largely recorded at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, California, about fifty miles north of San Francisco. It was the only album released by the band until a 2005 compilation album released by singer Ron Keel. After the album was released the band broke up. Guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen joined the band Alcatrazz, bassist Rik Fox would form Sin, drummer Mark Edwards signed on with Lion, while Ron Keel would spin off Steeler into Keel.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeler_(American_band_album))

The original Steeler line-up comprised Ron Keel on vocals and rhythm guitar, Michael Dunigan on lead guitar, Bobby Eva on drums, and Tim Morrison on bass which soon moved from Nashville to Los Angeles, CA. In 1982, they released the "Cold Day in Hell" b/w "Take Her Down" 7" single and contributed "Cold Day In Hell" to the first edition of the legendary Metal Massacre compilation which also featured Metallica, Ratt, and Malice.

Eva left the band after a short while and was replaced by drummer Mark Edwards. Morrison and Dunigan would soon exit as well and were replaced by bassist Rik Fox, an original member of W.A.S.P., who was recruited after he had placed an ad in Music Connection magazine's classifieds, and 19-year-old Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen, who arrived in February 1983, thanks to the efforts of Mike Varney and Edwards to secure a work visa. The classic Steeler line-up was now complete but musical differences quickly arose between Malmsteen and the rest of the band. According to Fox, "At first, it wasn’t working because Yngwie saw fit to insult Ron to his face by requesting to make the songs a little less simple and a little more complex to come up to his playing standards. We couldn’t believe what we were hearing from this “new” guy! We kept auditioning other guitarists right in front of him because we all lived together in a piss-poor environment of several gutted-out, roach-infested storefronts, laughingly dubbed 'The Steeler Mansion'. Eventually, Yngwie came around and said, "Okay, I’ll play the game your way."

Signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label, the band proceeded to record their eponymous debut album at Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati, CA, north of San Francisco. Metal Forces magazine editor, Bernard Doe, summed up the results in less than glowing terms while praising Malmsteen's incendiary guitar playing. "Not a classic album by any means. In fact, if it wasn’t for Yngwie’s talents then this would be just plain average. But, buy this album as it will surely become a collector’s item in the years to come when Malmsteen is recognised as one of the world’s greatest all-time heavy metal guitarists." The album would go on to become one of Shrapnel's best selling records, in large part due to Malmsteen's participation, who left soon after the record's completion and joined Graham Bonnett to form Alcatrazz. Malmsteen's stint with Steeler only lasted about 4 months and 9 shows, including memorable opening slots for Hughes/Thrall at the Country Club, Vandenberg at the Roxy, and Quiet Riot at Perkins Palace. Future Talas, Heaven, and McAuley Schenker Group guitarist Mitch Perry, aka Mitch Brownstein (ex-The Kydz, Dutch Courage), was brought in as his replacement. Fox was given his walking papers and replaced by Ron Murray, previously with Ozz, Burning Rome and Dutch Courage, a band that also featured drummer Randy Castillo and Joe Perry Project vocalist Ralph Morman.

The final line-up of Steeler saw the departure of Perry, Murray and Edwards who were replaced by Kurt James on lead guitar, Greg Chaisson, formerly of Surgical Steel, on bass, and Bobby Marks on drums. However, after the loss of Malmsteen in the summer of 1983, and due to the constant change in band members, Steeler lost their momentum and never signed with a major record label. Ron Keel decided to split up the band and start fresh under his own name, releasing a total of 5 albums by the end of the 1980s.

In 2005 a compilation album with songs from the single, album, live show bootlegs and unreleased tracks was released by UK label Majestic Rock as Metal Generation: The Steeler Anthology. The compilation was issued the following year as American Metal: The Steeler Anthology by Deadline in the U.S..

01. Cold Day In Hell (04:17)

02. Backseat Driver (03:24)

03. No Way Out (05:18)

04. Hot On Your Heels (06:35)

05. Abduction (01:10)

06. On The Rox (02:54)

07. Down To The Wire (03:52)

08. Born To Rock (03:06)

09. Serenade (06:15)

KatFile           TurboBit           GigaPeta

Leigh Stephens (ex Blue Cheer) - And A Cast Of Thousands (1971) CD

Year: 1971 (CD 2004)
Label: Akarma Records (Italy), AK 094
Style: Rock, Soul
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Time: 32:20
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 212 Mb

Rock guitarist Leigh Stephens was a founding member of the power trio Blue Cheer, a hard rock band based in San Francisco, along with bassist/vocalist Dickie Peterson and drummer Paul Whaley. The group was signed to Philips Records and released its debut album, Vincebus Eruptum, in January 1968. Containing a Top 20 revival of Eddie Cochran’s "Summertime Blues," the LP soared to number 11 in the Billboard chart. Less successful was the follow-up, Outsideinside, released in August 1968, which reached the Top 100. In late 1968, Stephens, who later described himself as the only member of Blue Cheer not to be "chemically challenged" (i.e., using drugs), was asked to leave the group after criticizing the behavior of his bandmates. He signed a solo deal with Philips and moved to Great Britain, where he recorded his debut solo album, Red Weather (February 1969). Returning to San Francisco, he formed a new band, Silver Metre, with singer Jack Reynolds on bass, keyboard player Pete Sears, and drummer Mick Waller. The band signed to National General Records and released one self-titled album, which was notable for containing three Elton John/Bernie Taupin songs, two of which, "Country Comforts" and "Now They’ve Found Me" (aka "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun") had not yet appeared on an Elton John album. Silver Metre broke up in November 1970, and Stephens recorded a second solo album, Cast of Thousands (1971) for the British Charisma label. He then formed a new band, Pilot, which featured Waller, guitarist Bruce Stephens (who had been a replacement member of Blue Cheer), bassist Neville Whitehead, and Martin Quittenton. They signed to RCA Victor Records and released a self-titled debut album in 1972, after which Stephens left the group. His next band was called Foxtrot and featured keyboard player George Michalski, bassist/vocalist Gary Richwine, and drummer David Beebe. They signed to Motown Records and recorded an album in 1974, but it was never released. More abortive projects followed during the ’70s and into the 80s, but Stephens did not have another legitimate record release until 1998, when he was a member of a band called Chronic with a "K" also featuring singer/keyboardist Melissa Olsen, bassist Ron Stone, and drummer Ryan Goodpastor that released Ride the Thunder on ChroniCorp Records. In 2004, Stephens self-released his third solo album, High Strung/Low Key.

(ru.motolyrics.com/leigh-stephens.html)

01. The World Famous Soul Transplant (03:30)

02. Medicine Man (03:46)

03. Simple Song (04:48)

04. Handful Of Friends (01:49)

05. Oh Lord (05:32)

06. Jumping Jack Flash (04:47)

07. Sweet Love Of Mine (02:42)

08. Chunk Of Funk (05:24)

TurboBit           KatFile

Kevin Ayers - Whatevershebringswesing (1971) CD

Year: 1980 (CD 12 March 2014)
Label: Parlophone Records (Japan), WPCR-15526
Style: Art Rock, Prog Rock
Country: Kent, England (16 August 1944 - 18 February 2013)
Time: 74:22
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 435 Mb

Background:

In 1971, Kevin Ayers started recording what would become his most acclaimed album, Whatevershebringswesing accompanied by members of Gong and his previous backing band The Whole World. Praised by NME, Record Mirror and Rolling Stone, the album realized all the musical aspirations Ayers had harboured since the inception of Soft Machine.

As with most Ayers albums, a collision of disparate styles confronts the listener but in this instance they work to extremely powerful effect. The title track with Mike Oldfield's guitar accompaniment and Robert Wyatt’s wracked harmonies would become a template for Ayers subsequent '70s output.

The album opens with "There Is Loving/Among Us" accompanied by David Bedford's dramatic orchestral arrangement. There follow the vignettes "Margaret" and "Oh My" where Ayers juxtaposes terse lyrics against measured backing. "Song from the Bottom of a Well" marries an explosive arrangement, again featuring Oldfield, to Ayers’ cryptic lyric "This is a song from the bottom of a well / There are things down here / I've got to try and tell". The title track is notable for Oldfield's extended bass solo at the beginning, while "Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes", a flirtation with Ayers' love of early rock and roll, would become a staple of his live set for years to come, a song he would re-record twice that decade.

Many critics and fans have cited Whatevershebringswesing as their favourite Ayers album and it remains to this day a best seller in his catalogue.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whatevershebringswesing)

Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was a major influential force in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene. He recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years worked with Brian Eno, Syd Barrett, Bridget St John, John Cale, Elton John, Robert Wyatt, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Nico and Ollie Halsall, among others. After living for many years in Deia, Majorca, he returned to the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s before moving to the south of France. His last album, The Unfairground, was released in 2007. The British rock journalist Nick Kent wrote: "Kevin Ayers and Syd Barrett were the two most important people in British pop music. Everything that came after came from them."

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Ayers)

01. There Is Loving / Among Us / There Is Loving (07:22)

02. Margaret (03:20)

03. Oh My (02:59)

04. Song From The Bottom Of A Well (04:37)

05. Whatevershebringswesing (08:13)

06. Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes (03:24)

07. Champagne Cowboy Blues (03:59)

08. Lullaby (02:11)

09. Lunatic's Lament (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (04:28)

10. The Oyster And The Flying Fish (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (03:01)

11. Butterfly Dance (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (03:36)

12. Whatevershebringswesing (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (07:45)

13. Falling In Love Again (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (03:25)

14. Queen Thing (BBC Bob Harris Session) (bonus track) (00:52)

15. Another Whimsical Song (BBC John Peel Show) (bonus track) (00:22)

16. The Lady Rachel (BBC John Peel Show) (bonus track) (03:52)

17. Stop This Train (Again Doing It) (BBC John Peel Show) (bonus track) (06:11)

18. Didn't Feel Lonely 'Til I Thought Of You (BBC John Pell Show) (bonus track) (04:35)

TurboBit           KatFile

Pretty Things - Cross Talk (1980) CD

Year: 1980 (CD 26 April 2006)
Label: Strange Days Records (Japan), POCE 1007
Style: Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 46:40
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 333 Mb

Who would have thought it? Reunited after splitting in the mid-'70s, the Pretty Things return with a new wave album. It's not what anyone might have expected, but it's very far from a disaster. The stop-on-a-dime arrangements and natural power show them to be well-seasoned, and Phil May, with an extremely mannered voice, comes across as a taunting frontman. In fact, you tend to feel that if Thin Lizzy had eased up on the metal, they might have made an album very much like this -- great, catchy songs based in R&B and old rock & roll ("Lost That Girl") -- but with the tongue firmly in cheek (check the Sting imitation on "No Future") while pandering to fashion. But when the results are as good as the jangly "Office Love" or "I'm Calling," you really don't care where the tongue's residing. There's a sense of history about the '50s drums on "Falling Again" that no young bucks could ever match, nor could they come close to the band's overall professionalism or stinging guitar work of Peter Tolson. Any of these ten tracks would have made a great single and by rights should have returned the band to major-name status. But justice is thin on the ground in music and instead it became one of the lost Pretties albums -- a shame, since in its own lighter way, it's every bit as good as their classic albums of a decade earlier. Some reunions don't work; this one just roars.

(allmusic.com. AllMusic Review by Chris Nickson)

Something close to an all-star lineup: May, Waller, Alan, Tolson, Povey and a recussitated Dick Taylor. Co-producer John Astley was Pete Townshend's brother-in-law and had previously worked on Who Are You, and Cross Talk frequently resembles the more popular band, less Townshend's creativity or sythesizer fetish ("I'm Calling" or "Sea of Blue"). They were told old, and too commercial to have gone punk, but at least they chose a direction, which in itself was an improvement. So new wave it was, and Cross Talk fit right in with 1980: lots of electric rhythm guitars, few solos, and Povey's keyboards reduced to flourishes. May's perpetual vocal idiosyncracies make him ideal for the taut rock assembled behind him, even if he does cop Sting at one point ("No Future"). The band really focused on their songs, writing a pile of guitar-led songs that retain the old R&B flavor in parts ("I'm Calling"), and their performances are spraightly ("Edge of the Night," "The Bitter End" or "Office Love" with an odd "no sex" postscript). The songs are mostly May/Tolson, but stairwells above their previous work, and the contemporary production fruitfully boxes in Tolson's guitar lines ("Office Love"). After the confusion in their previous albums, a return to form is a splendid surprise, even if there are a few minor detours (the ballad "She Don't", or the partially tropical "Falling Again"). Cross Talk was new wave geezer rock: shiny, a bit sleezy, energetic and unthreatening. Not a renaissance, but we'll take it.

(jhendrix110.tripod.com/PrettyThings.html)

01. I'm Calling (04:04)

02. Edge of the Night (03:18)

03. Sea of Blue (03:12)

04. Lost That Girl (02:47)

05. Bitter End (03:14)

06. Office Love (04:10)

07. Falling Again (03:18)

08. It's So Hard (03:13)

09. She Don't (04:07)

10. No Future (04:34)

11. Wish Fulfillment (Bonus track) (03:06)

12. Sea About Me (Bonus track) (03:23)

13. The Young Pretenders (Bonus track) (04:10)

TurboBit           KatFile

Blue Cheer - The Beast Is Back (1984) CD

Year: 1984 (CD 1996)
Label: Megaforce Records (U.S.)
Style: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Time: 37:16
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 261 Mb

The Beast Is Back is the seventh album by a newly reformed Blue Cheer, 13 years after their previous album, Oh! Pleasant Hope (1971). It contains re-recorded versions of some of the band's most popular songs from their late-1960s heyday as well as new material. The album features founding members Dickie Peterson and Paul Whaley. Original guitarist Leigh Stephens did not participate in the reunion.

The Beast Is Back has been released with three different album covers.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beast_Is_Back)

01. Nightmares (05:03)

02. Summertime Blues (03:57) ("Vincebus Eruptum" 1968)

03. Ride with Me (05:25)

04. Girl Next Door (03:39)

05. Babylon (04:12) ("Outsideinside" 1968)

06. Heart of the City (04:19)

07. Out of Focus (03:43) ("Vincebus Eruptum" 1968)

08. Parchment Farm (06:55)

TurboBit           KatFile