Archive for the ‘CLASSIC ALBUMS’ Category

HUSKER DU – ” Minneapolis Moonstomp ” Live 1985

Posted: February 18, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Hüsker Dü was an American rock band formed in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 1979. The band’s continual members were guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bassist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart.

Hüsker Dü first gained notability as a hardcore punk band, later crossing over into alternative rock. Mould and Hart split the songwriting and singing duties.

Following an EP and three LPs on independent label SST Records, including the critically acclaimed album Zen Arcade(1984), the band signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1986 to release their final two studio albums.

Bob Mould released two solo albums before forming Sugar in the early 1990s, while Hart released a solo album on SST and later formed Nova Mob. Norton was initially less active musically after Hüsker Dü’s demise and focused on being a restaurateur instead. He returned to the recording industry in 2006.

Aired on 28th August 1985, First Avenue, Minneapolis.
No Copyright Infringment intended. All Rights Reserved by Bob Mould, Grant Hart and Greg Norton,

Tracklist:
1-5. Interview segments
6. Flip Your Wig
7. Every Everything
8. Makes No Sense At All
9. The Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
10. I Apologize
11. If I Told You
12. Folklore
13. Don’t Want To Know If You Are Lonely
14. I Don’t Know For Sure
15. Terms Of Psychic Warfare
16. Powerline
17. Books About UFO’s
18. Hardly Getting Over It
19. Sorry Somehow
20. You’re So Square/The Wit & Wisdom
21. Green Eyes
22. Divide & Conquer
23. Celebrated Summer
24. All Work, No Play

Hüsker Dü first gained notability as a hardcore punk band, later crossing over into alternative rock.

TALKING HEADS – ” Saratoga Psycho ” USA 1993

Posted: February 18, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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This superb radio broadcast recording captures Talking Heads  live at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center set in the lush environs of Saratoga Spa State Park in New York State during the summer of 1983. At this stage in their career, Talking Heads were at an artistic peak, having progressed from their initial spiky art-punk stance into something much funkier and more ethnically diverse in inspiration.

Crucially, bassist Tina Weymouth and her husband, drummer Chris Frantz, had also formed the successful dance-oriented splinter group, Tom Tom Club, in 1981.

SIDE A
1.Psycho Killer (Live)
2.Heaven (Live)
3.Cities (Live)

SIDE B
4.Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) (Live)
5.Burning Down The House (Live)
6.Life During War Time (Live)
7.Home (This Must Be The Place?) (Live)

SIDE C
8.Once In A Lifetime (Live)
9.Big Business / I Zimbra
10.Houses In Motion

SIDE D
11.Genius Of Love (Live)
12.Girlfriend Is Better (Live)
13.Take Me To The River (Live)

Double 140 Gram Grey Vinyl Set. This superb radio broadcast recording captures Talking Heads live at the Saratoga Springs Performance Center set in the lush environs of Saratoga Spa State Park in New York State during the summer of 1983. At this stage in their career, Talking Heads were at an artistic peak, having progressed from their initial spiky art-punk stance into something much funkier and more ethnically diverse in inspiration.

The WHO – ” Live At Leeds ” 14th February 1970

Posted: February 18, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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On the 14th February 1970, The Who appeared at the University Refectory at University of Leeds  England. The show was recorded for the bands forthcoming ‘Live At Leeds’ album. Since its initial reception, Live at Leeds has been cited by several music critics as the best live rock recording of all time. The University of Leeds refectory, has now been named a national landmark in the UK, commemorated with a blue plaque. It was the only live album that was released while the group were still actively recording and performing with their best known line-up of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle and Keith Moon.

Two shows were consequently scheduled, one at the University of Leeds and the other in Hull, for the express purpose of recording and releasing a live album. The Leeds concert was booked and arranged by Simon Brogan who later became an assistant manager on tour with Jethro Tull. The shows were performed on 14th February 1970 at Leeds and on 15th February 1970 at Hull, but technical problems with the recordings from the Hull gig — the bass guitar had not been recorded on some of the songs — made it all the more necessary for the show from the 14th to be released as the album.

Live at Leeds has been cited as the best live rock recording of all time, Recorded at Leeds University on 14th February 1970 on Pye Mobile Unit.

THE WHO - LIVE AT LEEDS 1970

 

FREE – ” Free Live “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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This live album was recorded in Sunderland and Croydon, places where the band had a strong following, during January and September 1970. Although only two tracks, namely ‘The Hunter’ and ‘All Right Now’, could be used from the Sunderland show, producer Andy Johns did use a lot of the crowd noises from that gig between tracks, to create a virtually seamless live experience.

Interestingly, the final song on the album is actually a studio recording, and is one of four they did before splitting up; the other three surfaced on the ‘Highway’ album. One of the pleasures of this album is that the original recordings were clearly not altered in the studio. Everything is heard as it happened on stage. And what it proves overall is that Free were a masterful live band.

‘Free Live!’ is a fine representation of how good the four were when in this environment and the enthusiastic crowd response is utterly authentic and sets the atmosphere for the whole event.

Because that’s what this album  is…a true event. Capturing FREE at their peak.

In the pantheon of blues-rock there has never been a band that burned so brightly, was more commercially successful and made so much great music in so comparatively short a period of time as Free. They are probably best known for their 1970 signature song, ‘All Right Now’ but theirs is a rich deep catalogue, surprisingly so given their comparatively short career.

Free disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers became the frontman of Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums. In 2004 Paul Rodgers worked with Queen offering a different take on Freddie Mercury’s vocals for the band. Bass player Andy Fraser formed Sharks and wrote ‘Every Kinda People’ that Robert Palmer covered, while the brilliant lead guitarist Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler and then tragically died from a drug-induced heart failure at the age of 25 in 1976.

FREE – ” Tons Of Sobs “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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The debut album from Free, and you can already here the sediment settling on a style of blues-rock that didn’t just draw from the past bur proved that they were going to be a major force.

Stevens’ production rightly kept everything minimalistic, allowing the expansive talents of the individuals here to shine through. Paul Rodgers’ voice was already becoming a major part of the live scene in the UK, complemented by Paul Kossoff’s powerful yet evocative guitar playing. The fact that eight of these songs were originals was in stark contrast to, say, the Rolling Stones’ debut album a few years earlier. But it underlined that this young band were able to be self-contained, but were fully aware both of the scope they had in which to operate and also an affinity to the best way to combine the roots of their influences with the commercial needs of the time.

This is best shown by ‘The Hunter’, which would become one of the best loved of all Free songs. And everything here translated simply and effectively into the live environment.

Although the album failed to chart in the UK, in America it made the Top 200, making it to number 197.

This is an impressive debut from what would become a truly great band. The quartet of Paul Kossoff (guitar), Paul Rodgers (vocals), Simon Kirke (drums) and Andy Fraser (bass) would go on to record some absolute classic British rock, and this is where they started.

With material written mostly by the band themselves, this is an impressive start. Most of the material is quite strong, and the performances exceptional. Fraser was an inventive bass player, who, along with Kirke provided a great rhythm section, with powerful and complex lines. Kossoff was a classic rock guitar hero, knowing just when to be restrained and when to break loose. And Paul Rodgers voice – he has to be the greatest blues singer that this country has ever produced.

Musically this album is how they would continue. Blues drenched rock. There are highs (Worry, Walk In my Shadow, I’m a Mover) and a few lows (The opener and closing `Over The Green Hills’ .  Very effective. Wild Indian Woman and I’m a Mover follow suit – driving, grinding. Goin’ Down Slow and Moonshine are slower, more traditional blues songs, but still great. Perhaps the best song on the album is their rendition of the Hunter. Koss’ guitar is exceptional.

FREE – ” At Last “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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In some respects, this is a sad album. The band had actually broken up in April 1971, with no intention of ever working together again, But when it became obvious that Kossoff was suffering from major drug problems, brought on by the split in the band for who he had so much affection, it was decided to reunite the line-up, almost as a way of saving the guitarist’s life.

Under those conditions, it would be expected that ‘Free At Last’ would be anything but a decent album. However, against all the odds it turned out a lot better than expected or feared. Sure there are times when Kossoff’s erratic playing had to be covered by either Rodgers or Fraser playing piano. And there’s an melancholic air to some of the lyrics, possibly reflecting Kossoff’s state of mind. Yet, set against this is the fact that the band seemed to immerse themselves in a new style.

The swagger of old had gone, maybe unsurprisingly, but the new introspection not only suited the mood of the band, but also gave them a fresh direction to explore. And there is no way that songs like ‘A Little Bit Of Love’ were inferior to past glories. This album seems to be almost uniformly criticized in reviews but I would make a case that it holds its own fairly well against the rest of Free’s catalogue. True, it is not all up to the consistent high standard of ‘Fire and Water’ or ‘Heartbreaker’, but it nevertheless contains much good material and demonstrates clearly the evolving style of the band, away from the relatively simple arrangements of the early albums and towards the keyboard-dominated sound of ‘Heartbreaker’. This album was the last by the original four members of Free, but though he is not credited I suspect that some of the keyboard work might have been by John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, who officially joined the band later, for their final album. There are more good tracks than bad. Child, Guardian of the Universe and Magic Ship all hint at Rodgers chosen direction, and there are similarities with his later work with Bad Company and his solo efforts. Although there are a couple of tracks which some might regard as ‘filler’, the standard of composition and playing is high, with the shorter more concise songs near the start and the later songs being more lengthy, slow and thoughtful.

The album got to number nine in the UK and number 69 in America.

 

 

FREE – ” Live At The BBC “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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FREE Live At The BBC (2006 UK 26-track 2-CD album set featuring a compilation which captures the rise of one of the UKs most talented blues/rock bands from their very first session in 1968 [astonishingly recorded just days after bass play Andy Frasers 16th birthday] through to their last official recording for the BBC In Concert for John Peel in July 1970. Also includes the rare December 1969 session for Top Gear which never even made it to bootleg.

Disc 1 contains some excellent material all of very good quality including the first two tracks which are from Free’s very early days as a band in 1968. Both tracks are blues numbers and give you an insight into Free’s raw bluesy sound. Tracks 3-12 are all very good renditions of various tracks (although the beginning of “I’ll Be Creepin’ is missing because Paul Kossoff taped over it). Tracks 13-20 encompass two takes of “Be my Friend” and five takes of “Ride on a Pony”, neither of which demonstrate Free performing at their best, and the sound quality on all takes of “Ride on a Pony”  is marred by low quality vocals.

Disc 2 contains two afternoon concerts hosted by John Peel, although he is never heard between the tracks, as this was presumably missing or erased.

 

In the pantheon of blues-rock there has never been a band that burned so brightly, was more commercially successful and made so much great music in so comparatively short a period of time as Free. They are probably best known for their 1970 signature song, ‘All Right Now’ but theirs is a rich deep catalogue, surprisingly so given their comparatively short career.

One of the earliest known recordings of FREE ever. Recorded on July 15th 1968.

Tracks:

01 – Walk in My Shadow
02 – Moonshine
03 – Free Me (early version)

Total time 11:50

Paul Rogers – Vocals, Harmonica
Paul Kossoff – Guitar
Andy Fraser – Bass, Vocals
Simon Kirke – Drums

Free disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers became the frontman of Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums. In 2004 Paul Rodgers worked with Queen offering a different take on Freddie Mercury’s vocals for the band. Bass player Andy Fraser formed Sharks and wrote ‘Every Kinda People’ that Robert Palmer covered, while the brilliant lead guitarist Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler and then tragically died from a drug-induced heart failure at the age of 25 in 1976.

FREE – ” Free “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Maybe it was a sign of how the band’s stock was steadily rising, but for this second album the producer was none other than Chris Blackwell, Island Records owner.

The most crucial thing here was the way in which the growing songwriting partnership between Paul Rodgers and Andy Fraser was beginning to take on the shape of greatness. Together, they wrote almost all of the original album’s songs, and these were certainly crucial in shaping the sound and style of the band.

There was now an interesting contrast between the discipline of Rodgers and Fraser and the more freeform sensibilities of Paul Kossoff. Under different circumstances, or with lesser talents, this would have been a disaster. Instead, it leads beautifully to a balance between the contrasts that coloured Free. If there were any tensions here, then they were channelled into making ‘Free’ a special album which took the band to a new level, and helped to establish their credentials as one of the primary shapers of the era.

Without this pivotal album, things would have been very different not only for Free, but also for rock music as it developed. Following from their impressive debut (Tons of Sobs), Free came straight out of the blocks with this more than impressive follow up. Building on the sound they’d created, a blues drenched rock sound driven by the drums and Bass of Fraser and Kirke, layered with the work of guitar god Kossoff and with the vocals of one of the finest blues singers we’ve ever produced, Paul Rodgers.

There are some classic tracks here, such as `I’ll Be Creepin’, and the storming `Songs Of Yesterday’. It’s a great stepping stone for their third, and greatest album, `Fire and Water’.This is a great album in it’s own right though, and shows that the young group had an astonishing maturity. Free’s second LP was a more introspective affair than the blues-based “Tons of Sobs” which preceded it, and was recorded amidst inter-band turmoil which saw bassist Andy Fraser teaching Paul Kossoff his guitar parts, note-for-note. The songs here are uniformly excellent, and range from the mournful “Free Me” and the upbeat “Broad Daylight” to the languid “Lying in the Sunshine.”

Free were now masters of their own destiny, and about to become a massive name.

Solo Acoustic Version of “Mouthful Of Grass” from FREE (self titled) 1969 Album. Preformed by Andy Fraser

The FIREWORKS – ” Tightrope “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Shelflife Records is excited to announce the highly anticipated debut LP Switch Me On from The Fireworks, on LP, CD and digital formats. The LP comes in two colors: limited blood red vinyl will be offered exclusively at Rough Trade Shops (SOLD OUT), while limited white vinyl will be available at shelflife.com (SOLD OUT).

Second pressing 250 copies on red and white splatter vinyl.

After two brilliant 7″ singles, the sold out Fireworks EP and nearly sold out Runaround, and one flexi featuring the cover of Girls At Our Best! “Getting Nowhere Fast”, the band are ready to unleash their debut album Switch Me On to the world. Needless to say, those who have been waiting patiently will be rewarded. Recorded at Soup Studios by David Holmes and Simon Trought (Allo Darlin, Comet Gain), the album continues right where the band left off: more chainsaw fuzz-drenched feedback, more guitar pop hooks, more reverb-soaked Matthew and Emma vocals, and more jumping off your f**king seats! The LP also shows the versatility in sound of the band, when the distortion pedals take a back seat to shimmering 12 string guitars. All and all, this album is made up of thirteen “A” sides and if you can sit still while listening to this record, you’re surely walking dead!

The band continues to play around the UK and Germany, including London, Bristol, Nottingham, Manchester, and Hamburg, with more gigs planned for 2015.

The Fireworks are Emma Hall (Pocketbooks), Matthew Rimell (Big Pink Cake), visual artist Isabel Albiol, and Shaun Charman (The Wedding Present/The Popguns), based in London and Brighton, UK.

For fans of: Razorcuts, Buzzcocks, Girls At Our Best!, Revolving Paint Dream, The Shop Assistants, Meat Whiplash, Bubblegum Splash

Singles: “Runaround”, “On And On”, “Tightrope”, “Took It All”

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Taken from The Firework’s debut album “Switch Me On”, out now on Shelflife Records, available on white vinyl, CD and digital.

CLOSE LOBSTERS – ” Firestation Towers 1986-1989 “

Posted: February 16, 2016 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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Close Lobsters, Firestation Towers 1986-1989  Cherry Red’s expanded C86 set was one of the highlights of 2014. Fire Records intensified the indie pop microscope this year with a harnessing of this presently existing Scottish outfit’s Foxheads Stalk This Land and Headache Rhetoric LPs and the singles collection Forever Until Victory!

Some of the Lobsters’ cohorts frankly lost the thread as they searched for or attempted to maintain fleeting success, but that’s not the case here, Firestation Towers maintaining the focus on chiming guitars, non-hackneyed melodicism, and energetic delivery and lacking any sense of anticlimax. Sure, the early singles might jangle forth with a little extra urgency, but that’s far from an uncommon occurrence.

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Taken from  , the 3 x LP set including Foxheads Stalk This Land and Headache Rhetoric with Forever Until Victory! The Singles collection available on vinyl for the first time this Record Store Day 2015

Close Lobsters first came to wider prominence with the track “Firestation Towers” on the NME‘s C86 compilation. They signed to Fire Records and released their debut single “Going To Heaven To See If It Rains” in October 1986. They released a second single “Never Seen Before” in April 1987 which strengthened their reputation as one of the leading emerging indie bands. They went on to release two albums: Foxheads Stalk This Land was released in 1987 and Headache Rhetoric in 1989. The review of “Foxheads Stalk This Land” called it “first-rate guitar pop from a top-shelf band. Close Lobsters could have been just another jangle group, but they have a lot more going for them than just chiming Rickenbackers

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