Cat Stevens - Back to Earth (5 CD Super Deluxe 40th Anniversary Edition, 2020/FLAC)

 

In 1978, after having sold millions of records and become one of the biggest international artists of the 1970s, Cat Stevens decided to step out of the rock star spotlight and walk away. That year, he was to release his final album under that name.

While Stevens’ legions of fans were saddened by the news, along with the musicians who had played with him on record and stage, the singer himself was exhilarated by the prospect of moving on. “It was like going back to my original nature,” he reflected at the time. “Back to wide-eyed childhood again”. The appropriately-titled Back To Earth was his parting gift: an album that saw the London-born singer saying farewell to his fans, while obliquely explaining his decision to quit in songs such as ‘Last Love Song’ and ‘Just Another Night’.

“What’s going on behind the appearance of stardom or the stage itself can be a completely different world,” he says now, “and that’s what it was a lot of the time. I kept my sanity and I kept my eyes open.”In May 2019, Back To Earth is to be reissued in various formats on Cat-O-Log Records / BMG, including a 6 Disc, 2LP Deluxe Boxset featuring the original album (remastered at Abbey Road), along with demos, unreleased tracks, and material from UNICEF’s 1979 Year Of The Child concert, the singer’s last live performance as Cat Stevens. 

 

Joan Baez - Rare, Live & Classic (3 CD, 1993/FLAC)

Rare, Live & Classic is a 1993 box set compilation by Joan Baez. Released on Vanguard, where Baez had recorded her most influential work during the first twelve years of her career, the set also included material from her subsequent record labels, A&M, Columbia and Gold Castle Records, as well as a number of previously unreleased studio and live recordings. Bob Dylan, Bob Gibson, Mimi Fariña, Judy Collins, Odetta and Kris Kristofferson are among those who make guest appearances on the various tracks; also included were two tracks from a never-released album recorded in 1981 with the Grateful Dead.  

 

Bob Dylan - For Sale or Just On The Shelf [6 CD studio outtakes]

 

For Sale Or Just On The Shelf is an attempt to gather the circulating Bob Dylan Columbia Studios Recording Session Outtakes (1961-1964) into a reasonably logical, hopefully useful, accessible compilation. It is arranged chronologically and includes as accurate as possible identifications for the session takes and sources. Selected alternate mixes and live performances are included for interest and comparison.

Bob Dylan - Man On The Street, Vol. 1 (10 CD, 2017/FLAC)

 

After nearly six decades of writing great lyrics and music, recording and performing a prolific number of tunes, Bob Dylan is still out there, doing what he has always said, Im Just A Rock n Roll Man.There is, of course, his huge solo success as a folk/rock artist worldwide, but his great songs have been covered and recorded by a whole host of artists like The Byrds, The Hollies, Jimi Hendrix, The Band, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton and many, many great artists around the globe. 

 This amazing 10 CD Box Set charts his rise & is the ultimate collectors set.

VA - The Story of British Folk - From Fairport Convention to Johnny Flynn (2 CD, 2010/FLAC)

Two CD compilation that charts the story of Folk music in the UK from Martin Carthy, who equivalent to Bob Dylan in the US, is the pioneer of the UK Folk revival, through Fairport Convention and the Folk Rock movement, right up to contemporary artists carrying on the rich tradition such as Noah And the Whale, who reached #5 in the UK Album charts. Whether you're drinking cider in the sun at a festival or just interested in getting to know some of the pioneers and artists that have made folk what it is today and influenced the last 40 years of popular music in Britain.

Woody Guthrie - American Radical Patriot (6 CD, 2013)

 Radical American Patriot is a collection of material recorded "in service" of the U.S. Government. Here are his complete Library of Congress interviews and musical performances recorded by Alan Lomax (released in their entirety for the first time); his songs written while employed by the Bonneville Power Administration, including a previously unreleased, minor key version of "Pastures of Plenty"; a set of previously unheard home demonstration recordings of songs made for a late 1940s public health service VD education program; three radio skits, including two for the Office of War Information during the Second World War; and a number of other radio performances made in support of the war effort. It's a sweeping overview both of a transitional period in American history, and of the prolific, multi-faceted life of Woody Guthrie. 

VA - Troubadours Of British Folk (3 CD, 1995/FLAC)

 Rhino's Troubadours of British Folk series, encompassing three volumes, four decades, 49 songs, and almost as many performers, is a model genre retrospective. For those who want a representative collection of the style's highlights, it covers virtually all of the major performers and innovators of British folk, represented by their best-known (and usually best) songs. For those who want an introduction/guide to the form, it's equally useful, serving as an excellent foundation to build upon if you're motivated to seek out more albums by these performers after an initial taste. Volume One covers the mid-'50s to the early '70s, encompassing skiffle (Lonnie Donegan), elder statespersons (Ewan MacColl), virtuoso guitarists (Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy), traditional singers (Jean Redpath, Shirley & Dolly Collins), singer-songwriters (Donovan), and early efforts by the major players of British folk-rock (Fairport Convention, Pentangle, The Incredible String Band, Steeleye Span). Then there are names which are virtually unknown these days in the States, like the Young Tradition, Anne Briggs, and Wizz Jones. Along with some expected classics (Fairport's "Fotheringay," Donegan's "Rock Island Line," Jansch's "Needle of Death") are some rare coveted treasures, like MacColl's "Dirty Old Town" (eventually covered by The Pogues) and Graham's "Angi" (popularized by Simon & Garfunkel). The liner notes, with quotes from many of the artists and extensive commentary, are great, as they are for each volume of the series.

 

 

VA - Newport Folk Festival 1960 (2 LP) [24-96]

 Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. It was one of the first modern music festivals in America, and remains a focal point in the expanding genre of folk music. The festival was held annually from 1959 to 1969, except in 1961 and 1962, returned to Newport in 1985, and has been held at Fort Adams State Park since then. 

 

 

Doc & Merle Watson - Never The Same Once, Live At The Boarding House, May 1974 (7 CD, 2017/FLAC)

 Not a songwriter of note himself, Doc Watson was a folk musician in the broadest sense of the term, and a wonderful interpreter of early Americana equally adept at singing and playing George Gershwin's ''Summertime'' and the traditional blues ''Mama Don't Allow No Music'' as he was at another traditional song often associated with Louis Armstrong, ''St. James Infirmary Blues,'' as well as the ageless ''Wabash Cannonball.'' Though it sounds like hyperbole, there isn't such thing as a bad Doc Watson record, but this boxed set may be the most extraordinary Doc Watson ever captured on tape. Ever. 

From the very first notes of the first of the seven different shows presented here, it's clear that Doc, his son, Merle, and bassist T. Michael Coleman are locked in and having fun. They wanna be there, and it shows. The musicianship is sparkling and flawless throughout, and their joie de vivre bubbles through all seven discs. There's a bounce to these performances on no other Doc record, live or from the studio. From the incredibly fast ''Nancy Rowland/Old Joe Clark'' to the impassioned ''South Coast,'' the song sung in John Ford's film, ''Grapes of Wrath'' (both on chapter 4, disc 1), to the unexpected Elvis medley at the end of chapter 2, disc 1, these are Watson performances for the ages. The slide-guitar work of Merle, who died in a tragic tractor accident on the family farm in 1985, is utterly sublime. Two guests, Ken Lauber on piano, and Billy Roberts on harmonica, appear in two different shows each. Owsley ''Bear'' Stanley [the Grateful Dead's legendary soundman & sound system architect] certainly did know how to record in this room. The audience is audible, as are the between-tune exchanges among the three men, and most of Doc's jokes are funny. The tapes were processed using the Plangent system, to correct any wow and flutter and to recover lost frequencies. The result is exceptional sound, intimate yet three-dimensional.

 

 

Bob Dylan - 50th Anniversary Collection 1964 [9 LP, 2014/FLAC]

 

The 50th Anniversary Collection 1964 is the third Bob Dylan collection released by Sony Music to prevent the recordings from legally entering the public domain in Europe. Released on vinyl only in December 2014 only 1,000 copies of the nine-LP set were produced.

Bob Dylan - The Original Mono Recordings [8 CD, 2010] [FLAC + 320]

The Original Mono Recordings is a box set compilation album of recordings by Bob Dylan, released in October 2010. It consists of Dylan's first eight studio albums in mono.

• Bob Dylan - vocals, guitars, harmonica, piano, police car
• Mike Bloomfield, Herb Collins, Al Gorgoni, Jerry Kennedy, Bruce Langhorne, Wayne Moss, Kenneth Rankin, Robbie Robertson - guitars
• Charlie McCoy - guitars, bass, bass harmonica, trumpet
• Joe South - guitars, bass
• Bill Aikins, Al Kooper - organ, piano
• Paul Griffin, Frank Owens, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Richard Wellstood - piano
• Harvey Brooks, Lee Gaskin, Will Lee, Joseph Macho Jr., Russ Savakus, Henry Strzelecki - bass
• Kenny Buttrey, Bobby Gregg, Herbie Lovelle - drums
• Pete Drake - pedal steel guitar
• Wayne Butler - trumpet

See individual album pages for track listings.

• Bob Dylan originally released March 19, 1962
• The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan originally released May 27, 1963
• The Times They Are a-Changin' originally released January 13, 1964
• Another Side of Bob Dylan originally released August 10, 1964
• Bringing It All Back Home originally released March 27, 1965
• Highway 61 Revisited originally released August 30, 1965
• Blonde on Blonde originally released May 16, 1966
• John Wesley Harding originally released December 17, 1967

Joni Mitchell - Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, a Ballet, Waiting to Be Danced (4 CD, 2014) [FLAC]

In the '60s and '70s, Joni Mitchell was widely seen as the archetypal female singer/songwriter, the original Lady from the Canyon who sang passionate but laid-back songs full of organic wisdom about love and life. Of course, that image was never an accurate portrait of the sort of artist Mitchell was -- emotionally she was never hesitant to cut deep, even on languid acoustic numbers, and her skills as a lyricist, vocalist, and guitarist were estimable.

The Incredible String Band discography [1966-2021]

 

 

The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) were a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within the British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974. The group's members are musical pioneers in psychedelic folk and, by integrating a wide variety of traditional music forms and instruments, in the development of world music. The group reformed in 1999 and continued to perform with changing lineups until 2006.

Joni Mitchell- Transmission Impossible (3 CD, 2015) [FLAC + 320]

 

This three CD boxed set features a number of live recordings of Joni Mitchell from concerts and sessions recorded for FM Broadcast in the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

The Byrds - Transmission Impossible [3 CD, 2015]

 

Featuring three full length FM Radio Broadcasts of performances by different incarnations of The Byrds, in 1968, 1973 and 1978 (albeit by then billed as McGuinn, Clark and Hillman) this boxed set provides an excellent showcase of this ever-changing groups live work during the decade that immediately followed their pop career in the earlier part of the 1960s. The first show featured, from the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco in November 1968, was performed at a time of great change and uncertainty. Gram Parsons, who had joined a faltering line up in early 68, had departed prior to a disastrous tour of South Africa for which McGuinn notably had received much criticism. By September 1971, when the performance on the second disc of this set was transmitted, the only further change in line-up had been the replacement of John York - who had been asked to leave in September 1969 - with session bassist Skip Battin. Requiem for the Timeless, is the often overlooked McGuinn, Hillman & Clark project of 1978/79. The album they recorded together was lacklustre and featured an irritating disco-ish backing, but the live shows were magnificent. And at one-such hosted by The Boarding House venue in San Francisco on February 9th 1978, those present were treated to four original members for the price of three when David Crosby showed up. Disc Three of this package features this legendary show in its entirety.

Gram Parsons - A Song For You [7 CD, 2017] (FLAC + 320)

 

American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist Gram Parsons is best known for his work with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He also popularized what he called “Cosmic American Music”, a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. He recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His relatively short career was described by AllMusic as “enormously influential” for country and rock, “blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.” His health deteriorated due to several years of drug abuse and he died in 1973 at the age of 26. The official cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol.

Neil Young – Neil Young Archives Vol. II (1972-1976) [10 CD, 2020]

 Neil Young Archives Volume II: 1972–1976 is a 10-CD box set from American-Canadian folk rock musician Neil Young that was initially released in a limited deluxe box set (and streaming on the Neil Young Archives site) on November 20, 2020. The release is the second box set in his Neil Young Archives series, following 2009's The Archives Vol. 1 1963–1972, and covers a three-and-a-half-year period from 1972–1976. 

Joni Mitchell - Archives, Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) [5 CD, 2021/FLAC]

The first volume of the Joni Mitchell Archives series shed significant light on the beginning of Mitchell’s musical journey, compiling a wealth of unreleased demos, radio broadcasts, and live tapes from the years just before she began making records. The extensive collection painted a detailed picture of Mitchell’s nascent years growing as a songwriter and performer in the independent folkie scene, and Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 2: The Reprise Years 1968-1971 does just as thorough and impressive a job of drawing back the curtain on the lively period surrounding her first four albums. 

The collection moves in chronological order, beginning with some rough home demos for songs from 1968 debut Song to a Seagull and its 1969 follow-up, Clouds. Hissy home recordings of tracks like Clouds’ “Roses Blue” offer interesting counterpoint to the more polished studio versions, and documentation of this phase also includes outtakes from the Song to a Seagull sessions.  

 

 

Joni Mitchell - The Reprise Albums (1968–1971) [4 CD, 2021/FLAC-HD]

 The Reprise Albums (1968–1971) is a four-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, set to be released on June 25, 2021, by Rhino Records. The set is the sixth overall release and first box set of remastered albums from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases featuring remastered and unreleased material from the singer's archives. Formatted in chronological order, the first volume of the remaster series includes Mitchell's first four albums, all of which were released on Reprise Records: Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), and Blue (1971).

Fairport Convention - A Lasting Spirit 1967 - 1997 (3 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 This Fairport Convention triple-CD set represents a startlingly good idea that comes off well -- a compilation of live performances from across the group's history, intermingling class concert recordings from back as far as the late '60s with much more recent work from the Cropredy Festival. What one comes away appreciating anew is just how good a rock band Fairport has been for most of its history -- at their best, in fact, as represented here (including recent performances by Richard Thompson), they come off as at least as good a rock band as, say, Jethro Tull is a folk outfit, if not better. The sound is good, even on the older material (which goes back to Julie Dyble's tenure with the group), and the selection covers a huge range of repertory, some of which will surprise and delight casual fans who may not know all of the strings to this band's bow.

Fairport Convention: Richard Thompson (vocals, guitar); Sandy Denny, Judy Dyble (vocals); Ian Matthews, Simon Nicol (guitar); Ashley Hutchings (bass instrument); Martin Lamble (drums); Chris Leslie, Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg, Dave Swarbrick, Gerry Conway, Jerry Donahue, Maartin Allcock, Norma Waterson, Ralph McTell, Ric Saunders, Gill Allcock, Martin Cathy, Cathy Le Surf, Vicki Clayton, Bruce Rowland.