Queen - The Miracle [4 bonus tracks] (1989)

Year: 22 May 1989 (CD Oct 22, 1991)
Label: Hollywood Records (US), HR-61234-2
Style: Pop
Country: London, England
Time: 58:43
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 393 Mb

Charts: UK #1, AUS #4, AUT #1, FRA #11, GER #1, JPN #23, NLD #1, NOR #2, SWE #6, US #24. Netherlands, UK, Germany: Platinum; France and Austria: Gold.

Somewhere out there, there’s a cruel prankster circulating a rumor that The Miracle is Queen‘s official return to hard rock. Well, off with his head. The band hasn’t been so bogged down by synthesizers and pinging drum machines since Hot Space.

Basically, The Miracle is a showcase for Freddie Mercury and his love of sweeping, quasi-operatic vocals. And indeed, Mercury — especially on the title track — has never sounded better. One of his strengths is his ability to take even the schlockiest material and make it his own, and that gift comes in handy on The Miracle.

Brian May is still in fighting trim, too — when you can hear him. May’s role on The Miracle is, for the most part, limited to a quick, typically brilliant solo here and there. As a result, the album lacks the sense of dynamics that marked most of Queen’s early work. Only on a few tracks (“Khashoggi’s Ship” and “Was It All Worth It”) does May really let it rip, and when he does, it’s like the old Queen peeping out for just a moment and then turning tail.

If you’re a fan who’s been hankering for years to hear Queen get back to the bombast of its heyday, replace your old copy of A Night at the Opera or News of the World instead. But don’t give up hope. At least The Miracle offers little snippets of Queen’s former majesty.

(rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/the-miracle-247944/) Review by Kim Neely. September 7, 1989

01. Party (02:24)

02. Khashoggi's Ship (02:48)

03. The Miracle (05:02)

04. I Want It All (04:33)

05. The Invisible Man (03:56)

06. Breakthru (04:08)

07. Rain Must Fall (04:23)

08. Scandal (04:43)

09. My Baby Does Me (03:22)

10. Was It All Worth It (05:46)

11. Hang On In There (03:46)

12. Chinese Torture (01:45)

13. The Invisible Man (12'' Version) (05:29)

14. Scandal (12'' Mix) (06:33)

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Steppenwolf - Early Steppenwolf [Japan Ed.] (1969)

Year: July 1969 (CD Apr 24, 2013)
Label: Universal Music (Japan), UICY-75557
Style: Rock
Country: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Time: 44:00
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 252 Mb

Early Steppenwolf is a collection of live recordings by Steppenwolf when they were still known as "The Sparrow". It was released in July 1969 on the ABC Dunhill Records label.

Prior to the formation of the Steppenwolf partnership in 1968, music producer arranger, Gabriel Mekler changed the name of the band based on a book he was reading at the time by Hermann Hesse. Nick St. Nicholas was one of the driving forces in music of the hippie counterculture movement, the Summer of Love, having booked the band at the Matrix club in the San Francisco Bay Area. On May 14, 1967, the manager of the Matrix club recorded two shows, including a 20-minute version of The Pusher. These are the live recordings released by ABC Dunhill Records as Early Steppenwolf.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Steppenwolf)

01. Power Play (02:56)

02. Howlin' For My Baby (04:52)

03. Goin' Upstairs (07:17)

04. Corina, Corina (03:57)

05. Tighten Up Your Wig (03:17)

06. The Pusher (21:39)

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Foghat - Fool For The City [MFSL CD] (1975)

Year: 15 September 1975 (CD )
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (US), UDSACD 2037
Style: Rock, Hard Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 35:25
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 241 Mb

Fool for the City is the fifth studio album by English rock band Foghat, released on 15 September 1975. Featuring the band's signature song "Slow Ride", along with the title track, it was the band's first album to go platinum. It was also the first album the band recorded after the departure of original bassist Tony Stevens. Producer Nick Jameson played bass and keyboards on the album, and co-wrote the closing track, "Take It or Leave It", with Dave Peverett. Appearing in the photograph on the back cover of the album, Jameson is not known to have toured with Foghat in support of the album. A new bassist, Craig MacGregor, was recruited shortly after the album's release, but Jameson would continue to produce and record intermittently with the band over the next couple of decades.

The album cover shows drummer Roger Earl sitting alone on a soap box fishing down a manhole near 229 East 11th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue) in New York City, near the address of Foghat's American office. The back cover features skeptical bystanders observing Earl's unusual activity and the other members of the band either asking him what he is doing or trying to dissuade him from it. In a 2014 interview, Earl explained how the picture was taken:

It was a Sunday morning and I hadn't slept. It was Nick Jameson's idea since I have this penchant for fishing. Anyway, we lift up the manhole cover and I'm sitting on a box. Almost immediately a couple of New York's Finest come by in their patrol car. They're looking at us and they wind the window down. We're like, "Oh shit." They yell out, "Hey! You got a fishing license?" and then start laughing. So they come over and say, "What the fuck are you doing?" They took some pictures with them handcuffing me. I love New York's Finest.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fool_for_the_City)

01. Fool for the City (04:33)

02. My Babe (04:37)

03. Slow Ride (08:11)

04. Terraplane Blues (05:42)

05. Save Your Loving (For Me) (03:31)

06. Drive Me Home (03:54)

07. Take It or Leave It (04:54)

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Benny Velarde Orchestra and Francisco Aguabella Orchestra - Ay Que Rico! (1962)

Year: 1962 (CD 1993)
Label: Fantasy Records (US), FCD-24731-2
Style: Mambo, Latin Jazz, Cha-Cha, Pachanga
Country: Panama / Cuba
Time: 77:05
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 415 Mb

Benny Velarde and Francisco Aquabella were among a number of Latin percussionists, performers, and bandleaders who got a chance to record during the late '50s as Latin music enjoyed a surge in popularity. Both led steady, competent ensembles that made songs solidly in the groove, designed for dancing. Although neither was a great soloist, they provided the requisite backbeats and rhythms with zest. This 1962 collection is evenly divided between Velarde and Aquabella's orchestras, and offers delightful, infectious Latin dance material with a modicum of instrumental distinction.

(allmusic.com/album/ay-que-rico%21-mw0000098649) Review by Ron Wynn

01. Jamaicuba (03:23)

02. Canto Guajiro (03:39)

03. Pachanga Pa' Gozar (02:37)

04. Las Guajiras (03:56)

05. Yolanda Pachanga (02:55)

06. Tu Manera De Ser (02:51)

07. Si Te Contara (04:01)

08. Ay Senor (03:35)

09. Como Baila Mi Abuelo (02:43)

10. Osso Buco (02:48)

11. Summertime (03:00)

12. Baila Mi Guaguanco (03:04)

13. Marvel-Cha-Cha (02:55)

14. Shirley's Guaguanco (04:33)

15. That's All (03:07)

16. Agua Limpia Todo (02:27)

17. Maraquita (02:21)

18. Nanigo Number One (02:37)

19. Que Mambo (03:09)

20. Ofe (02:55)

21. Arrivederci Roma (02:38)

22. La Empaliza (03:16)

23. Soy Tuyo (03:08)

24. Guao Guao (05:16)

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Moody Blues - In Search Of The Lost Chord [Delux Ed. 2CD] (1968)

Year: 26 July 1968 (CD ????)
Label: Deram Records (Russia. Unofficial Release), 983 214-7
Style: Symphonic Rock
Country: Birmingham, England
Time: 42:16, 56:24
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 252, 288 Mb

In Search of the Lost Chord is a concept album around a broad theme of quest and discovery, including world exploration ("Dr. Livingstone, I Presume"), music and philosophy through the ages ("House of Four Doors"), lost love ("The Actor"), spiritual development ("Voices in the Sky"), knowledge in a changing world ("Ride My See-Saw"), higher consciousness ("Legend of a Mind"), imagination ("The Best Way to Travel"), and space exploration ("Departure"). Space exploration would go on to become the theme of the group's 1969 album To Our Children's Children's Children, inspired by and dedicated to the Apollo 11 mission. The mysterious "lost chord" of the title is revealed to be the mantra "Om" (in the last stanza of Graeme Edge's poem "The Word"). According to keyboardist Mike Pinder, the title was inspired by Jimmy Durante's humorous song "I'm the Guy that Found the Lost Chord", itself a reference to "The Lost Chord" by Sir Arthur Sullivan.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Search_of_the_Lost_Chord)

01. Departure (00:45)

02. Ride My See-Saw (03:39)

03. Dr. Livingstone, I Presume (02:58)

04. House Of Four Doors (Part 1) (04:13)

05. Legend Of A Mind (06:36)

06. House Of Four Doors (Part 2) (01:47)

07. Voices In The Sky (03:28)

08. The Best Way To Travel (03:14)

09. Visions Of Paradise (04:15)

10. The Actor (04:39)

11. The Word (00:48)

12. Om (05:50)

01. Departure (Alternate Mix) (00:56)

02. The Best Way To Travel (Additional Vocal Mix) (04:04)

03. Legend Of A Mind (Alternate Mix) (06:45)

04. Visions Of Paradise (Instrumental Version) (04:31)

05. What Am I Doing Here? (Original Version) (03:56)

06. The Word (Mellotron Mix) (01:03)

07. Om (Extended Version) (06:09)

08. A Simple Game (Justin Hayward Vocal Mix) (03:27)

09. King And Queen (1968 Studio Recording) (03:55)

10. Doctor Livingstone I Presume (BBC 'Top Gear' Radio Show) (02:59)

11. Voices In The Sky (BBC 'Top Gear' Radio Show) (03:54)

12. Thinking Is The Best Way To Travel (BBC 'Top Gear' Radio Show) (03:39)

13. Ride My See Saw (BBC 'Top Gear' Radio Show) (03:50)

14. Tuesday Afternoon (BBC 'The Afternoon Pop Show') (03:26)

15. A Simple Game (BBC 'The Afternoon Pop Show') (03:44)

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Amon Duul II - Lemmingmania [Compilation 2 LPs on 1 CD] (1975)

Year: 1975 (CD 2006)

Label: Revisited Records (????), SPV 304212 CD

Style: Krautrock, Progressive Rock

Country: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Time: 52:16

Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz

Size: 323 Mb

Amon Duul was a German art commune whose members began producing improvisational psychedelic rock music during the late '60s. The group's members released several albums, mostly recorded during a single extended jam session, beginning with 1969's Psychedelic Underground. Concurrently, some of the commune's more musically inclined members formed the longer-lasting Amon Duul II. Both acts proved to be a major influence on generations of experimental rock musicians to come, and are regarded as pioneers of the Krautrock genre.

Forming in Munich in 1967, the collective included bassist Ulrich Leopold, his brother Peter Leopold on drums, and guitarist Rainer Bauer. While the basic lineup recorded a session that year, an expanded lineup of Amon Duul recorded a marathon improvisation in 1968 or 1969, which subsequently formed the majority of the group's discography. Psychedelic Underground and Collapsing: Singvogel Ruckwarts & Co. were both released in 1969, and later reissued under several different titles. A 1970 recording session produced a more focused, folk-influenced full-length titled Paradieswarts Duul, which appeared the following year. Two additional recordings taken from the group's original session, 1972's Disaster (Luud Noma) and 1984's Experimente, were also released.

While membership within the commune and the band Amon Duul was fluid, several commune members with greater musical ambitions decided to start a separate rock group, and formed Amon Duul II -- they saw no reason to struggle for a new name, or argue over the original. The new group was helmed by John Weinzierl, Chris Karrer, and Renate Knaup-Kroetenschwanz, and set to work to produce an impressive debut with Phallus Dei (1969). This was followed quickly by the 1970 double album Yeti, the cover of which features one of the band's roadies.

1971 brought the release of another two-LP set -- Tanz der Lemminge ('Dance of the Lemmings'), a recording widely considered to be the keystone of the Amon Duul II catalog. With stylistic abandon, the album mixed together everything from straight-ahead rock to experimental noodling, all built around a series of science-fiction themes. The band performed with a joyfulness that belied the real seriousness of the experimental work involved.

They continued on this path for several years, continuing to release highly regarded albums that achieved only moderate sales, at best. 1975's Made in Germany (released in two-LP and single-LP versions) found the band making an attempt to present a more commercially appealing side, with little effect on the market. Continuing failure to crack the mainstream eventually brought the band back to its more experimental roots, though not before causing the core unit to fall moribund for a while.

A further spin-off, formed by John Weinzierl under the original name (and also known as Amon Duul UK and, rarely, as Amon Duul III) recorded sporadically in the 1970s and '80s. Weinzierl worked with former Hawkwind member Dave Anderson on a total of five albums (one of which, Airs on a Shoestring, was a compilation drawn from the first two, with additional material salted in), with additional bandmembers coming from all walks of the British progressive/psychedelic scene. For Losung, Weinzierl and Anderson collaborated with the late Robert Calvert, as well as drummer Guy Evans.

Amon Duul II reappeared during the '90s, producing a series of remixes and original material, as well as Live in Tokyo and the intriguing benefit album Kobe (Reconstruction), which focused on material from 1969 and 1971. Members continued to be active with both solo and band projects. EastWest Records Germany released a four-CD retrospective box set in 1997. The '90s renewed interest in Krautrock culminated with the re-release of three of the group's albums -- Wolf City, Yeti, and Viva la Trance -- in 1999. A 2010 reunion effort was digitally self-released under the name Bee as Such, and was eventually given a full release by Purple Pyramid under the name Duulirium in 2014.

(allmusic.com/artist/amon-d%C3%BC%C3%BCl-mn0000020992/biography?1664711739567)

01. Archangel Thunderbird (03:34)

02. Light (03:49)

03. Between The Eyes (02:26)

04. Green Bubble Raincoated Man (05:02)

05. Tables Are Turned (03:34)

06. Rattlesnakeplumcake (03:15)

07. All The Years `Round (04:12)

08. Jail House Frog (04:55)

09. Burning Sister (from Soap Sh (03:47)

10. Lemmingmania (03:00)

11. Pig Man (02:41)

12. Mozambique (04:10)

13. Manana (03:25)

14. Ladies Mimikry (04:20)

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Deep Purple - Whoosh! (2020)

Year: 7 August 2020 (CD Aug 7, 2020)
Label: Ear Music (Germany), 0214135EMU
Style: Hard Rock
Country: London, England
Time: 51:38
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 388 Mb

There"s no denying the fact that 2020"s been an absolutely wild one, so why not double down on the mayhem with the ludicrously flamboyant 21st album from Hertford hard rock titans Deep Purple?

A full 48 years since the release of their stone cold classic hit "Smoke On The Water" and with enough line-up changes to put The Fall (or the Sugababes - choose according to your own personal taste) to everlasting shame, Deep Purple have managed to wade through the rocky waters of the entire history of heavy metal and always come up smiling (inter-band bickering aside).

Packed full of decadent riffs, haunted house keyboards and frontman Ian Gillan"s gloriously hammy vocals, "Whoosh!" isn"t just a testament to their staying power, but perhaps one of the most stupidly fun and outrageously silly albums of the year - and goodness, we"re all in need of a bit of fun right now, aren"t we?

Gillan has offered the following enjoyably nonsensical explanation of the album title: "Whoosh is an onomatopoeic word that, when viewed through one end of a radio-telescope, describes the transient nature of humanity on Earth; and, through the other end from a closer perspective, illustrates the career of Deep Purple." Digging this deep into the meaning behind "Whoosh!" isn"t necessary - this is an album that can and should be enjoyed without over-thinking.

Dramatic opener "Throw My Bones" sets the tone with a guitar solo worthy of being played shirtless on a stormy clifftop. And the song fades out! How long has it been since you last heard a song fade out?! That Deep Purple don"t give a shit is undeniably part of this record"s appeal - it"s at once totally out of step with modern times and just the kind of thing we need to soothe one of the worst years in living memory.

While the aggressive rockabilly of "What The What" might have overdone it with the boogie-woogie piano, "Nothing At All" is a chugging, timeless rock ballad of the kind that will absolutely destroy rock night dancefloors across the globe, while the strutting "No Need To Shout" shows you where Guns N" Roses got all their ideas from. The utterly anthemic "The Long Way Round", meanwhile, is a dead cert for the car stereo next time we get stuck in traffic on the M4 to Slough.

Sure, "Whoosh!" might not sound like it was created in 2020, but considering the last few months we"ve had, maybe that"s a good thing.

(nme.com/reviews/album/deep-purple-whoosh-album-review-2722807) Review by Leonie Cooper. 6th August 2020

01. Throw My Bones (03:39)

02. Drop the Weapon (04:23)

03. We"re All the Same in the Dark (03:44)

04. Nothing at All (04:42)

05. No Need to Shout (03:30)

06. Step by Step (03:34)

07. What the What (03:32)

08. The Long Way Round (05:39)

09. The Power of the Moon (04:08)

10. Remission Possible (01:38)

11. Man Alive (05:35)

12. And the Address (03:35)

13. Dancing in My Sleep (03:53)

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Pulsar - Pollen (1975)

Year: 1975 (CD 1990)
Label: Musea / Baillemont Productions (France), FGBG 4015.AR
Style: Progressive Rock, Space Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Country: Lyon, France
Time: 38:51
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 215 Mb

Pulsar is a French progressive rock band whose influences include Pink Floyd and King Crimson, plus classical musicians and composers such as Gustav Mahler. During the early 1980s, the group performed and composed the music for a Franco-Austrian musical theatre production.

Pulsar is the first French band to have signed with an English label, which was called "Kingdom Records".

The band recorded and published its first album, Pollen, in 1975. Philipe Roman left the band shortly after. The following year, the group recruited bassist Michel Masson, who later collaborated with them on The Strands of the Future (1976) and Halloween (1977).

In the early eighties, together with director Bruno Carlucci, in musical theatre, Pulsar adapted a short story by Austrian novelist Peter Handke: "Bienvenue au Conseil D'Administration!" (1981). The quintet comprised Gilbert Gandil on guitar and bass, Victor Bosch at the drums, Jacques Roman on keyboard, and Roland Richard playing the flute and saxophone, along with Louis Paralis taking the place of Michel Masson.

From 1974 to 1989, their albums were produced by CBS. Later, they were produced by Musea, a French label which had bought the distribution rights. The band launched a comeback in 1989, publishing Gorlitz.

The group's most recent album is Memory Ashes (2007), produced by Cypress Music. In 2008, Goldmine Magazine listed Halloween among the top 25 albums of progressive rock.

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

01. Pulsar (03:08)

02. Apaisement (07:25)

03. Puzzle - Omen (08:24)

04. Le Cheval De Syllogie (06:54)

05. Pollen (12:59)

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Vision Quest - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1985)

Year: 1985 (CD 1985)
Label: Geffen Records (US), 9 24063-2
Style: Hard Rock, Pop, Soundtrack
Country: Various
Time: 40:23
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 254 Mb

If you don't have eclectic taste in music, soundtracks can present a problem. Sometimes a soundtrack will focus on one style of music exclusively, but most of the time, a director will use any types of music he/she finds useful -- regardless of genre. The director's job isn't catering to those who limit themselves to one genre of music -- it's selecting any music that enables him/her to tell the story well. So if a director finds that everything from heavy metal to R&B to adult contemporary helps him/her tell a story, you could end up with a very diverse soundtrack. To fully appreciate the soundtrack for the 1985 film Vision Quest, you need to appreciate a variety of music. Fans of arena rock and pop/rock will appreciate Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" (which goes back to 1978, and is the LP's oldest offering), Sammy Hagar's "I'll Fall in Love Again," and Red Rider's "Lunatic Fringe," while heavy metal lovers will get into Dio's "Hungry for Heaven." But listeners will need an appreciation of dance-pop and R&B if they're going to get into the Style Council's '70s-minded "Shout to the Top" and Madonna's "Gambler" (an ultra-infectious gem that, unfortunately, isn't on any of the Material Girl's CDs). "Gambler" is one of those songs that should have been a major hit but wasn't, whereas "Crazy for You" (the soundtrack's other Madonna recording) soared to the top of the pop charts. This LP isn't recommended to either pop/rock or R&B/dance snobs, but it's worth picking up if you have eclectic tastes.

(allmusic.com/album/vision-quest-original-soundtrack--mw0000192211)

01. Only The Young (Journey) (04:05)

02. Change (John Waite) (03:16)

03. Shout To The Top (The Style Council) (04:19)

04. Gambler (Madonna) (03:55)

05. She's On The Zoom (Don Henley) (03:20)

06. Hungry For Heaven (Dio) (04:13)

07. Lunatic Fringe (Red Rider) (04:22)

08. I'll Fall In Love Again (Sammy Hagar) (04:13)

09. Hot Blooded (Foreigner) (04:26)

10. Crazy For You (Madonna) (04:11)

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Scorpions - Love At First Sting [50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. 2CD] (1984)

Year: March 1984 (CD Nov 6, 2015)
Label: BMG Records (Europe), 538159342
Style: Hard Rock
Country: Hanover, West Germany
Time: 61:28, 53:08
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 506, 465 Mb

Charts: GER #6, AUT #19, CAN #15, FRA #4, SWE #17, SWI #9, UK #17, US #6. Germany: Gold; Canada: 2x Platinum; US: 3x Platinum.

The album contains "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Still Loving You", and "Big City Nights", three of the band's most famous songs. The song "Rock You Like a Hurricane" reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the same year; "Still Loving You" reached number 64 on the same chart, number 14 in Germany, and number 3 in the French and Swiss single charts.

The album was recorded in 1983 and 1984 at Dierks Studios in Stommeln, West Germany. Initial sessions took place in Stockholm's Polar Studios in the Summer of 1983 with ex-Rainbow members Jimmy Bain on bass and Bobby Rondinelli on drums, but nothing made it to the final album. Love at First Sting is notable in that it was one of the first digitally recorded heavy metal records ever released.

The original cover art was created by Kochlowski, which is a German graphic design company, and features a photo shot by renowned German photographer Helmut Newton. Despite the record company having shown the original cover art to retailers without any concerns, a complaint by Walmart in the US after the album was released resulted in PolyGram Records issuing a "clean" cover for use in several department store chains. The alternative cover was designed to be less controversial by simply showing a photo of the band members, which was the same photo as the one on the inner sleeve.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_at_First_Sting)

01. Bad Boys Running Wild (03:56)

02. Rock You Like A Hurricane (04:13)

03. I'm Leaving You (04:16)

04. Coming Home (04:59)

05. The Same Thrill (03:34)

06. Big City Nights (04:09)

07. As Soon As The Good Times Roll (05:04)

08. Crossfire (04:32)

09. Still Loving You (06:28)

10. Coming Home (Demo Version) (03:22)

11. Living At Night (Demo Song) (04:16)

12. First Sting Jam No.1 (Demo Song) (01:27)

13. Anytime (You Want It) (Demo Song) (05:18)

14. Still Loving You (Demo Version) (05:47)

CD2: "Live At Madison Square Garden NY 1984"

01. Countdown (01:58)

02. Coming Home (03:11)

03. Blackout (03:48)

04. Bad Boys Running Wild (04:11)

05. Loving You Sunday Morning (04:45)

06. Big City Nights (05:14)

07. Coast To Coast (04:58)

08. Still Loving You (05:52)

09. Rock You Like A Hurricane (04:20)

10. The Zoo (08:05)

11. Dynamite (06:41)

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Jefferson Airplane - Sweeping Up the Spotlight - Jefferson Airplane Live at the Fillmore East 1969 (1969)

Year: 1969 (CD 2007)
Label: RCA / Legacy Records (Europe), 82876815582
Style: Psychedelic Rock
Country: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Time: 73:20
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 440 Mb

Sweeping Up the Spotlight: Live at the Fillmore East 1969 is the 2007 release of songs from the Jefferson Airplane concerts at New York's Fillmore East, recorded on November 28 & 29 1969. It is also the first American release for the band since 1998, and was assembled by the band's manager, Bill Thompson. It should not be confused with the similarly named Live at the Fillmore East (May 3–4, 1968), and released on CD April 28, 1998.

(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweeping_Up_the_Spotlight)

Jefferson Airplane were less focused in 1969 than they had been in the Summer of Love two years before. Recorded at the Fillmore East, these performances find the Airplane coming off their most recent album, Volunteers, released a month earlier, with the band a lot looser (drug use aside) and fractured. The factions in the group were presenting themselves during performances, and this set is no exception. Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady connected and jammed like they would have been just as content without the vocals getting in the way, Grace Slick and Paul Kantner combined their voices and played off each other, while Marty Balin screamed and crammed lyrics together, leaving little space for anyone else. During this era, harmonizing seemed out of the question, especially when the older tracks, like "Plastic Fantastic Lover," were being played at warp speed. Slick and Balin mainly yell over each other, a combination of clashing personalities and competition with the sheer volume of the instruments. In the era of Cream and Hendrix, the Airplane had become entwined with jazz-influenced improvisation and the distorted, electric end of the blues; the softer, folkie side of the band was nowhere to be found. For what the Airplane were doing at the time, there's no doubt that this was exciting and adventurous music, albeit without the intimate yin to the blazing yang. Collectors will want to pick up this set, at the very least, for the inclusion of the rarely heard "Uncle Sam Blues," "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short," and "Come Back Baby."

(allmusic.com/album/sweeping-up-the-spotlight-jefferson-airplane-live-at-the-fillmore-east-1969-mw0000568119)

01. Volunteers (03:34)

02. Good Shepherd (07:16)

03. Plastic Fantastic Lover (03:16)

04. Uncle Sam Blues (05:07)

05. 3-5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds (05:48)

06. You Wear Your Dresses Too Short (09:16)

07. Come Back Baby (06:47)

08. Won't You Try - Saturday Afternoon (05:14)

09. The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil (10:26)

10. White Rabbit (03:03)

11. Crown of Creation (03:25)

12. The Other Side Of This Life (10:02)

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