Rocket 88 - Rocket 88 [1981]

This was the best record Alexis Korner had made since 1962, and featured a core membership of former acolytes-- Bob Hall, Jack Bruce, Ian Stewart Hal Singer & Charlie Watts amongst others playing blues & boogie-woogie live at the Rotation Club in Hanover and nobody involved ever sounded better, happier, or more relaxed. This was both Korner's and Stewart's final effort.

From liner note by Ian Stewart:
This album was recorded under less than ideal conditions at the Rotation Club in Hanover, West Germany – where the stage is  20 feet above the floor and most people watch from the sides. For some reason, the band was on fire that night, despite a  long bus ride and the odd hangover or two. Although acoustically the club left much to be desired, I feel we have achieved  one of the best live albums ever, with the sort of feeling that is never achieved in studios. Jack Bruce in particular  played his ass off; and by the time "Roll 'Em Pete" ended the set, his fingers were bleeding profusely from playing double  bass – something he has only rarely done in recent years. Although the album was recorded on 24 tracks, there are no  instrumental overdubs. Everything is as it was on that night...

                            Here they are playing live in 1979,you can get the vibe.

                                                              Enjoy!

Otis Redding / The Jimi Hendrix Experience ‎– Historic Performances Recorded At The Monterey International Pop Festival [1970]

Jimi Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, and Noel Redding were the rage of England in that summer of love and psychedelica but they had yet to play the United States and thus were no more than a rumor to most of the Monterey crowd. Their appearance at the festival was magical: the way they looked, the way they performed, and the way they sounded were light years away from anything anyone had seen before.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience owned the future and the audience knew it in an instant. The banks of amplifiers and speakers wailing and groaning as Hendrix's fingers scurried across the strings of his guitar gave the trio's music as much density as other rock groups were getting out of the studio 8-track tape machines. And, of course, Hendrix is a masterful --though seemingly off-hand-- performer. Pete Townshend of The Who had become famous for destroying his guitar. Hendrix carried the ritual a couple of fantasies farther with lighter fluid and dramatic playing positions in "Wild Thing." When Jimi left the stage he had graduated from rumor to legend.
 

Otis Redding had been performing and recording for five years, but his fame and his following --despite a couple of undeniable hit records-- were largely confined to black rhythm and blues audiences in America and to Europe, where he and the Stax/Volt Revue had a justly fanatic following. The Monterey International Pop Festival was comprised of rock people who were still a year or two away from rediscovering their roots, "the love crowd," as he characterized them.
It's difficult to characterize the extent of his impact Saturday night. He was the last act in a day of music which had left the spectators satiated and pleasantly exhausted. Redding went on around midnight, close to the curfew agreed upon by festival organizers and the local police department and sherrif's office. Booker T. and the MGs and The MarKeys had played a brief instrumental set and played onstage to back Redding. Within moments after Otis Redding hit the stage, the crowd was on its feet, and --for the first and only time in a weekend of five massive concerts-- was impulsively rushing toward the stage to dance in the warmth of his fire.
He rocked and rolled past the curfew with a dazzling performance which no one could think of stopping. That night he gave the Monterey International Pop Festival its high point and he was embraced by the rock crowd as a new-found hero. Six months later he was killed in a place crash, leaving Monterey as perhaps the high point in his performing career.

                                                               Enjoy!

Screamin Jay Hawkins - Feast of the Mau Mau [1988]

Feast of the Mau Mau combines two Hawkins albums dating from 1969 and 1970. The first half comprises What that is, recorded live at a North Hollywood club with two different ensembles. Hawkins not only made his living performing live, but he also flourished on stage-as these recordings make quite abundantly clear. What that is finds Hawkins in the company of some stellar and sympathetic accompanists, including drummer Earl Palmer, bass player Lyle Ritz, guitarist Herb Ellis, and pianist Grahame Bond.
The second half of this set was originally released as a self-titled album in 1970. It's a bracing mix of swampy grooves, rockabilly carousing, soulful blues, and flat-out screaming. Hawkins' roots include doo-wop and jump blues, but he throws it all into a stew completely of his own making. A bold personality, Hawkins imbues his songs with complete and undeniable commitment.

                                                                                 Enjoy!

The Shades Of Black Lightning - S/T [1968]

It isn’t often that a young musical group discover themselves, and at the same time, discover their music. Such was the case with the Shades Of Black Lightning. When the Shades first came to my attention, the group was in the midst of developing. They had an exciting style in Rhythm and Blues.

Coming into the studio gave them further opportunities for experimentation. Here, the creativity and imagination of the individual members flowered, matched by enthusiasm and the joy found only in people who love what they are doing.

They have come to this happy point in their development. They want to share it with you. I think you’ll agree that the Shades are different. They bring with them sound of today and previews of tomorrow. (Freddie Piro – Album Liner Notes)

                                                                Enjoy!

Booker T. & The MG's - And Now! [1966]

More BBQ sauce-smeared Memphis soul classics from organist Booker T. Jones, guitar man Steve Cropper, bassist Duck Dunn and drummer Al Jackson, including "My Sweet Potato," "Soul Jam" and "One Mint Julep." This funky, slow-cooking, instrumental outfit, comprised of two blacks and two whites, set the standard for musical as well as racial harmony while carving out a masterful recording career that landed them in the R&R Hall of Fame.

                                                                Enjoy!

Jimmy McGriff - Honey [1968]

Honey is by far Jimmy McGriff’s best Soul stompin album. He really lets go on a series of great covers from the opening (Sweet, Sweet Baby) Since You’ve Been Gone to Respect to a really grooving version of We’re A Winner to Tell Mama to the open drums at the beginning of I Thank You and I Got The Feelin. With a set like that and McGriff going off on the organ you really can’t go wrong. 

                                                                Enjoy!

Andre Williams & The Out Of Sighters - Red Beans & Biscuits – Rare & Unreleased Recordings 1966-1970

Some of the best material from Andre Williams' heady 60s funk days – including some tracks that were initially released as singles on the tiny Duo label in Chicago, plus a bunch more that have never been reissued at all! In the setting for the sides, Andre's working at his hardest and heaviest – really keeping things raw and hard throughout, even on the numbers that feature vocals. There's a number of really great instrumentals on the album – tunes that have the rough, ready, and nicely messed up approach of some of Andre's best Chess work of the time – and which are a seminal bridge between the soul instrumental style of the 60s, and the heavier funk of the 70s!

                                                               Enjoy!

Billy Larkin & The Delegates - Hole in the wall [1965]

 Organist Billy Larkin & The Delegates immediately came to the attention of the Los Angeles jazz audience when their first record was released, but they also picked up a larger audience when people discovered they could dance to it. They had an appeal that far exceeded just the jazz listener.

Basically an organ, guitar and drums jazz trio with heavy emphasis on the blues, Billy Larkin & The Delegates was a versatile and dynamic group that reached into all corners of music to come up with a distinctive style.

                                                                                 Enjoy!

Dr John - The Sun, Moon & Herbs [1971]

This classic recording sees Dr John's transformation into the persona of the Night Tripper fully complete. Most notably it benefits from some really fantastic production, sounding deeper and darker than ever before. His status as a cult musician had risen to the extent that the album featured numerous famous guests, with some guitar from one Eric Clapton. Other names that can be dredged up from deep within the smoky haze include Ronnie Barron, Graham Bond, Jim Price, Bobby Keys, Carl Radle, Jim Gordon, Bobby Whitlock and Fuzzy Samuels. Mick Jagger is also somewhere in the background. 

On first listen the pace is so leisurely as to possibly seem uneventful, but if you are patient and allow yourself to succumb to its odd charms it will begin to draw you into a very strange headspace and worm its way under your skin. It is certainly quirky...a kind of funky, gritty, gumbo blues with a mind-bending undercurrent of light psychedelia mixed with equal doses of voodoo and humour.

 The Sun, Moon & Herbs is best listened to on a hot, muggy night with the sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance like jungle drums. A monumental recording!

 

 

 

                                                               Enjoy!

Tim Buckley - Greetings from L.A. [1972]

Greetings from LA is about the night. About when 1960s free love became 1970s pleasure hunt.

All this is done to a deep, exotic, popping funk, provided by the best in the business: Chuck Rainey and many other funky associates. These were THE guys to get if making jazz or funk or both in the 70s.   

These songs are long, girating canvases, played perefectly by these amazing musicians. This is funk, not disco, but it is amazing how hard the beat is driven, yet how musically it is played. The opener is blues funk. "Get On Top" works as proto-dance music. "Sweet Surrender" is exotic, middle eastern, a slow naughty satin burn--the stuff of your knuckle rapping top-bottoned school teacher's most pleasent dreams.No doubt that the music is sure as hell great!

                                                                                 Enjoy!

Steve Cropper - With a little help from my friends [1971]

An obscure bit of late 60s Stax! Steve Cropper's working away from the MG's here, in a mode that's slightly similar, but which has his guitar upfront in the mix on a batch of Memphis-style instrumentals – kind of his own take on the groove he was laying down with Booker T, but with a lot less organ in the mix! There's no mad funk on the album, but the whole thing's pretty darn nice – and is proof that Cropper was the key element in more than just a bit of the Stax sound at the time – a really strong artist who could more than stand on his own. 

                                                               Enjoy!

King Curtis - Live At Fillmore West [1971]

     King Curtis and The King-Pins came into the famed Filmore West in 1968 to provide backup for Aretha Franklin. At this time in his career, he was branching out as a producer and music arranger for Freddie King, Aretha and others. It was a last minute cancelation that brought Curtis and his formitable band onto the concert stage for this legendary performance. As Otis Redding had done in Monterey, Curtis seduced the largely white hippie audience and won them over.

The set largely consists of soul staples the band had honed and perfected while on the chitlin circuit; Memphis Soul Stew, Soul Serenade, Freddie King's I Stand Accused and Stevie Wonder's big hit Signed Sealed & Delivered I'm Yours. Curtis rounds it out with with contemporary top 40 material such as Procol Harum's Whiter Shade Of Pale, Jeffery Jeff Walker's Mr. Bojangles and Led Zeplin's Whole Lot Of Love. Check out the audience reaction. These kids couldn't get enough of the King.

    Unfortunately, this was one of the last recorded appearences by this great alto player with the soulful wail and impecable phrasing. Several months later, he was stabed outside his New York City apartment house.Although throughout his career Curtis turned in consistantly excellent material, this is without a doubt, his most inspired live recording. 

                                                                 Enjoy!

Alvin Robinson - Shine On [1988]

    Classic New Orleans soul from Alvin Robinson. Alvin's got a voice that's completely unique – full and proud, but with this kind of raspy, shallow quality too – a blend that really sets him apart from anyone else we can think of, and which has always made his cuts instantly memorable! The material here is one of the first full collections we've seen of Alvin's great music – a mixture of singles from the Red Bird, Blue Cat, Tiger, and Imperial labels. Most grooves are nice and chunky – that gritty New Orleans funky mode of the 60s, but inflected with an even harder New York approach too.

                                                                               Enjoy!

Dave Baby Cortez - Organ Shindig & Tweetie Pie & In Orbit [1965-1966]

 From the U.K.-based Sequel Records imprint comes this unique collection containing all three long-players cut by Dave "Baby" Cortez (organ) for Roulette circa 1965 and 1966. The respective platters in question are Organ Shindig (1965), Tweety Pie (1965) and In Orbit With Dave "Baby" Cortez (1966).

 The vast majority of the material comprising the first two LPs cross a fairly broad spectrum of concurrently popular tunes. Sadly, none of the support musicians are credited. Although no particular instrumentalist stands out from the rest, they provide Cortez a platform similar to that of the infamous Wrecking Crew. 

 In Orbit With Dave "Baby" Cortez produced a completely different feel. Among the changes are the heavy jazz vibe, recalling the likes of Jimmy Smith. There are also omnipresent background singers and a horn section that, at times, supplies more of the melody than Cortez does.

                                                                       Enjoy!

Dimitris Poulikakos - Crazy Love stou Zografou [1979]

  A legendary live album from Dimitri Poulikako, often referred as the concert of the rain,as it was cancelled twice because of rain.The band, consisting of 18 members, represent the cream of the Greek late 70's scene and even though some of them have never played together before,the result is a highly energetic performance.The songs  are all covers,but played so good that in some cases they challenge the originals!

                                                                                  Enjoy!

The Coasters - 50 Coastin' Classics

The Coasters are best known for their dynamic delivery, writing the book on harmonies and vocal interplay, allowing their songs to ride on a loosely fitting instrumental structure, and relying on numbers that are designed for the younger person, not so much because they’re immature, but because they’re more of a novelty in nature.  But even so, tunes like “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” “Yakety Yak,” and “Young Blood” will forever live in the minds of those who were around when the songs were receiving so much AM air time in the mid 1950’s and early 60’s, and a constant request at Sock Hops across America at the time.

Many of their songs were penned by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, artists in their own right, who managed to take The Coasters out of the Doo Woop circuit and move them into the R&B/Rock & Roll genre; though their music was covered and imitated so often that they will forever be linked to Doo Woop ... but that’s what happens when evolution takes place, with a constant looking back in order to redefine the future.

Every once in a while The Coasters would float a song like “Down In Mexico,” a song that was so unexpected and so good that it transcended time and boundaries.  A tune like that would have me holding my breath, hoping that the next outing from the band would be equally dynamic and engaging.  Even so, The Coasters will forever be part of a musical legacy, and though they toured under various lineups, any of their incarnations put on a splendid show.

But to this album 50 Coastin’ Classics, this is the one you need, this is the complete compilation.  After all, The Coasters only put out five albums, and twenty eight ‘A Side’ singles ... yet have managed to tally something in the neighborhood of eighteen compilations, with I’m sure, more to come.  While 50 tracks by The Coasters may be way more than you need, this is certainly a release that is both worth your time and your consideration.  There is no way I’m going to tell you that you’re going to find yourself playing these selections over and over, they will certainly become part of your musical reference library, and a timeless source of satisfaction for the lineage and development of classic R&B and early Rock & Roll. 

Also the classic sexy dance:

Enjoy!   Vol.1   &   Vol.2

Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Stephen Stills - Super Session (1968)

  By 1968 Al Kooper had played with Bob Dylan both on stage and in the studio, been a member of The Blues Project, and formed Blood, Sweat & Tears with Steve Katz (subsequently leaving after their first album). He was then working for Columbia Records as an A&R man.
  In May 1968 he called up his old friend guitarist Mike Bloomfield and asked him to come to the studio to jam. Kooper and Bloomfield had worked together in 1965 on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited album. Bloomfield was curently working with his group The Electric Flag, but he was about to leave them. With Kooper on keyboards and Bloomfield on electric guitar, together with bassist Harvey Brooks (who had also worked with them on Highway 61 Revisited) and drummer Eddie Hoh they recorded a series of blues-based jams. Barry Goldberg also played electric piano on two of the numbers.
  However Bloomfield was struggling with imsomnia and a heroin addiction - the next day, with more studio time booked, he failed to turn up. So Kooper called up Stephen Stills (who was then leaving Buffalo Springfield) to replace him on guitar.
  The resultant album, Super Session, was credited on the cover to all three of them, the first side with Bloomfield and the second with Stills. Horn arrangements were afterwards added to some of the songs. The first side is firmly rooted in blues and is mostly instrumental, driven by Bloomfield's fantastic guitar playing. It's also notable for the nine-minute modal jazz-fusion number "His Holy Modal Majesty". The second side has more focus on Kooper's vocals, with renditions of Dylan's "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" (where Kooper plays 12-string guitar), Donovan's "Season Of The Witch" (which is drawn out into a fantastic 11 minute jam) and Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me". Stills plays some brilliant lead guitar throughout.
  Though it was initially conceived as just Al Kooper jamming with some of his famous musician pals, Super Session actually ended up becoming one of his best-known and most successful releases, and also known as featuring some of Bloomfield's best guitar playing.

Enjoy! 

Dr. John, The Night Tripper— Gris-Gris [1968]

  When Dr. John's Gris-Gris hit the rock underground in 1968, it wasn't certain whether its master of ceremonies had landed from outer space, or just been dredged out of hibernation from the Louisiana swamps.  The blend of druggy deep blues, incantational background vocals, exotic mandolin and banjo trills, ritualistic percussion, interjections of free jazz, and Dr. John's own seductive-yet-menacing growl was like a psychedelic voodoo ceremony invading your living room.  You could be forgiven for suspecting it of having been surreptitiously recorded in some afterhours den of black magic, the perpetuators of this misdeed risking life-threatening curses for having exposed these secret soundtracks to the public at large.
  The most exploratory and psychedelic outing of Dr. John's career, a one-of-a-kind fusion of New Orleans Mardi Gras R&B and voodoo mysticism. Great rasping, bluesy vocals, soulful backup singers, and eerie melodies on flute, sax, and clarinet, as well as odd Middle Eastern-like chanting and mandolin runs. It's got the setting of a strange religious ritual, but the mood is far more joyous than solemn.

Enjoy!

Ry Cooder - Chávez Ravine [2005]

Chávez Ravine: A Record by Ry Cooder is a concept album and historical album by Ry Cooder which tells the story of Chávez Ravine, a Mexican-American community demolished in the 1950s in order to build public housing. The housing was never built. Ultimately the Brooklyn Dodgers built a stadium on the site as part of their move to Los Angeles.

Enjoy!

Hazmat Modine Cicada 2011

HAZMAT MODINE draws from the rich soil of American music of the 20's and 30's through to the 50's and early 60's, blending elements of early Blues, Hokum Jugband, Swing, Klezmer, New Orleans R & B, and Jamaican Rocksteady. The band is fronted by two harmonicas which use call and response, harmony, melody, and syncopated interweaving rhythms. The band includes tuba, guitar, and percussion, claviola and Hawaiian steel guitar. The band's sound reflects musical influences ranging from Avant-garde Jazz to Rockabilly and Western Swing to Middle-Eastern, African, and Hawaiian musical styles.

Enjoy!