Joni Mitchell - The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) [4 CD, 2022/FLAC]

The Asylum Albums (1972–1975) is a four-disc box set by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, released on September 23, 2022, by Rhino Records. 

The set is the tenth overall release and second box set of remastered albums from the Joni Mitchell Archives, a planned series of releases featuring remastered and unreleased material from the singer's personal archives. Formatted in chronological order, the second volume of the remaster series includes Mitchell's first four albums released on Asylum Records: For the Roses (1972), Court and Spark (1974), Miles of Aisles (1974), and The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975).

 

 

VA - Troubadours: Folk & The Roots Of American Music (12 CD, 2012-2014/FLAC/320]

 

In the one hundred years that folk music has been recorded in the United States, the tradition has embraced ballads - mostly new, but some transplanted from Europe, political statements, personal introspection, and much more. Now the story is here from the 1920s to the 1970s and beyond in four exclusive 3-CD sets. Through this music, we feel it all from the isolation of early twentieth century Appalachia through the economic and political upheavals of the Depression, War, and Civil Rights eras to contemporary west coast singer-songwriters looking within for inspiration. The story is here: original artists and original versions in stunning sound with detailed notes from folk scholar Dave Samuelson.

 

 

 

Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Tea For The Tillerman (Super Deluxe, 5 CD, 2020) [FLAC]

 Tea for the Tillerman is the fourth studio album by singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, released in November 1970.

On 28 May 2020, Yusuf announced his new album, Tea for the Tillerman2, which was released on 18 September 2020. Tea for the Tillerman2 is a reimagining of "the same eleven songs for a new age with dramatic results", celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tea for the Tillerman. 

• Disc 1: Original Album (2020 Remaster)
• Disc 2: Original Album (2020 Mix)
• Disc 3: Tea For The Tillerman²
• Disc 4: Demos / Outtakes / Alternate Versions
• Disc 5: Live

•     Cat Stevens – classical guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, lead vocals
•     Alun Davies – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
•     Harvey Burns – drums, congas, tambourine
•     John Ryan – double bass
•     Del Newman – string arrangements
•     Jack Rothstein (as John Rostein) – solo violin

 

Sandy Denny - Live At The BBC (1971) [3 CD FLAC + DVD 5]

Live at the BBC is a 4 disc CD collection of Sandy Denny's BBC sessions from 1966 to 1973 and contains almost all her solo work for the BBC. Disc 4 is a DVD of Denny performing three songs on the music show "One in ten" in 1971, the only surviving solo footage of her.

The box set contains early solo sessions during her time with Alex Campbell and Johnny Silvo, as well as her solo sessions post Fairport Convention and post Fotheringay comprising performances for Bob Harris, John Peel, Sounds on Sunday and The Old Grey Whistle Test promoting her solo albums The North Star Grassman and the Ravens, Sandy and Like an Old Fashioned Waltz. A 7 song concert, broadcast from the Paris Theatre in London is included. The collection includes an interview with Sandy Denny for the BBC's World Service programme Tomorrow's People with Clive Jordan. 

 

 

Bob Dylan - The Broadcast Collection 1961-1965 (5 CD, 2019) [FLAC]

 The Broadcast Collection is a unique collection of Bob Dylan's live broadcast sessions between 1961 and 1965 in New York, Chicago, Mineapolis and Montreal. Bob Dylan’s recording at Bonnie Beecher’s Apartment is a famous “home” tape of Dylan. Large portions of this tape appeared on the first Dylan bootleg album, the legendary Great White Wonder. The Broadcast Collection also includes the live broadcast at Finjan Club Montreal 1962. The tape features one of Dylan’s most powerful original blues The incredible Finjan tape belongs in every collection.

The Greenwich Village Folk Scene - Original Album Series (5 CD, 2014/FLAC + 320)

 

• CD 1 - The Even Dozen Jug Band - 1964 
• CD 2 - The Blues Project - 1964 
• CD 3 - Phil Ochs - I Ain't Marching Anymore - 1965
• CD 4 - Fred Neil - Bleecker & MacDougal - 1965 
• CD 5 - Tom Paxton - Ain't That News! - 1965 

 

VA - Next Stop Is Vietnam - The War On Record, 1961-2008 [13 CD, 2010]

 

...NEXT STOP IS VIETNAM: The War On Record, 1961 - 2008 is a stunning, years-in-the-making anthology of the Vietnam War's musical legacy. Presented on 13 CDs with a 304-page book illustrated with numerous archival photographs, this collection examines the war in a powerful and unprecedented way. Over 330 music and spoken word tracks take the listener through a guided tour of this epochal period of modern history. From America's first, naïve impressions of a country called Vietnam through the spirited musical debate over the morality of the war to the healing meditations on the conflict's lengthy aftermath, this set captures it all and more.

Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Merle Haggard, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs, Johnny Cash, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, The Doors, Country Joe McDonald and dozens of other artists including many Vietnam veterans are the tour guides through this enlightening and entertaining journey. Rarely heard documentary material including patriotic Public Service Announcements, field news reports and intercepted North Vietnamese radio transmissions of Jane Fonda and Hanoi Hannah.

The heavily illustrated, full-color 304-page book that accompanies the music is packed with information on the songs and the artists who recorded them by music scholar Hugo A. Keesing; a history of the war by Vietnam historian Lois T. Vietri; and an oral history of the tunes that 'in country' vets loved best by authors Doug Bradley and Craig Werner. The introduction to this remarkable tome is written by the legendary Country Joe McDonald. Strap in for a long and fascinating ride

...NEXT STOP IS VIETNAM is the most comprehensive anthology of music inspired by the Vietnam War ever released.

                                                                  
 

Bob Dylan & the Hawks - Eat the Document (1966 video)

 Eat the Document is a documentary of Bob Dylan's 1966 tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland with the Hawks. The cover photo was taken on the train line between Belfast and Dublin, near Balbriggan. It was shot under Dylan's direction by D. A. Pennebaker, whose groundbreaking documentary Dont Look Back chronicled Dylan's 1965 British tour. The film was originally commissioned for the ABC television series ABC Stage 67.

Though shooting had completed for the film, Dylan's July 1966 motorcycle accident delayed the editing process. Once well enough to work again, Dylan edited the film himself. ABC rejected the film as incomprehensible for a mainstream audience.

It has never been released on home video and prints are rarely screened in theaters. Some footage from Eat the Document was used in Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary on Bob Dylan, No Direction Home, and 3 song excerpts are special features on the DVD. 

 

America - Warner Bros Years 1971-1977 (8 CD, 2015/FLAC)

  

A practical, no-frills clamshell box set celebrating the soft rock/folk-pop hitmakers' '70s heyday, the Warner Bros. Years 1971-1977 rounds up seven complete studio albums and one live LP. Comprised of America (1971), Homecoming (1972), Hat Trick (1973), Holiday (1974), Hearts (1975), Hideaway (1976), Harbor (1977), and America Live (1977), all of which were remastered in 2014, the collection is aimed squarely at completists. Like their closest sonic contemporaries Seals & Crofts, the trio of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek was an unstoppable FM/AM radio force for the era, securing future classic soft rock staples like "Horse with No Name," "Ventura Highway,' "Muskrat Love," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair," many of which were impeccably produced by George Martin. Really the only thing missing here is the group's 1982 comeback hit "You Can Do Magic," which would make Rhino's excellent 2000 Highway: 30 Years of America the better choice for casual fans, but longtime America devotees will appreciate having the new studio masters all in one place, as well as the neatly arranged original album art and inserts.

Roy Harper discography [1966-2013] (FLAC)

 

Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941) is an English folk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released 32 albums (including 10 live albums) across his 50-year career. As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, reflecting his love of jazz and the poet John Keats.

Fred Neil - The Many Sides of Fred Neil (2 CD, 1998/FLAC)

For many, the name Fred Neil will be familiar only as that belonging to the songwriter of the modern classic “Everybody's Talkin’,” or perhaps “Candy Man,” “The Dolphins,” or “Other Side of This Life,” songs that Roy Orbison, Tim Buckley, and the Jefferson Airplane, respectively, recorded. However, Neil’s influence extends much farther. John Sebastian, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Bob Dylan all claimed him as an influence, since he blended traditional and contemporary folk, blues, rock, gospel, Indian, and pop influences into a distinctive, idiosyncratic style. 

His music was not only influential, it was quite rich on its own terms and some of the best music of its era. Unfortunately, since Neil chose a life of seclusion in 1971, disappearing from both recording and performing, his work was neglected. Remedying the situation, The Many Sides bypasses his Elektra material, instead offering a complete summary of his Capitol recordings, including his three albums for the label (Fred Neil, Sessions, Other Side of This Life), both sides of a non-LP single with the Nashville Street Singers, and six unreleased cuts. It’s a long overdue compilation and one that certainly stands as a definitive portrait of an influential and criminally underappreciated folk-rock figure. After listening to The Many Sides of Fred Neil, it makes sense that Neil turned into a recluse—this is moody, haunting music, unlike much of the work of his contemporaries. In particular, his eponymous album boasts challenging, innovative arrangements that remain fresh and startling to this day. The rest of his work may be a little uneven in comparison, but it’s frequently compelling and often matches its heights. Most importantly, The Many Sides of Fred Neil grants Neil his proper place in folk-rock history, confirming his unique vision and talent. 

Joni Mitchell - A Day In The Garden Festival (1998) [DVDRIP video]

 Joni Mitchell backed by Larry Klein (b), Brian Blade (d) and Mark Isham (tp) celebrates the 29th anniversary of the Woodstock festival at “A Day In The Garden”, Yasgur’s Farm in Bethel, NY .

In the least surprising news of the year 2019, the organizers behind Woodstock 50 gave into the inevitable on Wednesday and announced that the festival would not be taking place. “Unfortunately, we ran out of time,” Michael Lang told Rolling Stone shortly after the news broke. “It was an unfortunate venture, but I chalk it up to having the wrong partners early on. We did everything we could have done and we had the right motivations. We put together what I thought was an amazing lineup of talent. I thought we had all that right.”

Lang’s last major concert was Woodstock 99, a notoriously disastrous event that culminated in a fiery riot. What far fewer people remember is another Woodstock event was held the year before that, one that Lang had nothing to do with. It was called A Day in the Garden and, unlike Woodstock 94 and Woodstock 99, it was held at the site of the original festival in Bethel, New York. This time around, nobody slept there and the capacity was capped at 30,000 people.

The most impressive booking was Joni Mitchell, who toured very infrequently throughout the 1980s and 1990s and would essentially retire from the road in 2000. She was supposed to play the original Woodstock in 1969, but her manager David Geffen worried that the chaos of the event would make it impossible for her to make a planned appearance on the The Dick Cavett Show the following day. She was a new artist then and he felt that national TV exposure was far more valuable than playing a single concert.

  

Bob Dylan - The Genuine Basement Tapes 1967 (5 CD, 1990/FLAC)

 

On July 29 1966, Dylan suffered a mild concussion and cracked vertebrae when he crashed his Triumph motorcycle near Woodstock, New York. While he was recovering, Dylan reviewed a preliminary cut of D. A. Pennebaker's documentary of the 1966 world tour.  Dissatisfied with Pennebaker's results, Dylan re-edited the footage into a surrealistic film, titled Eat the Document. 

Dylan spent this time thinking a lot about the direction he had been going, in which he felt exhausted from non-stop touring. Dylan later recalled, "The turning point was back in Woodstock. A little after the accident. Sitting around one night under a full moon, I looked out into the bleak woods and I said, 'Something's gotta change.'"

 According to the late Rick Danko, he, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson joined Robbie Robertson in West Saugerties in February 1967. Sometime between March and June (the date is uncertain) Dylan and the Hawks began a series of informal recording sessions. These sessions eventually moved to the basement of Big Pink. Garth Hudson set up a recording unit, using two stereo mixers and a tape recorder borrowed from Grossman, as well as a set of microphones from Peter, Paul and Mary. Dylan would later say "That's really the way to do a recording-in a peaceful, relaxed setting-in somebody's basement with the windows open ... and a dog lying on the floor."

In a matter of months, Dylan would record at least thirty new compositions with the Hawks, including some of the most celebrated songs of his career: "I Shall Be Released," "This Wheel's On Fire," "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)," "Million Dollar Bash," "Tears of Rage," "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere," "Going To Acapulco," "I'm Not There (1956)," "All You Have To Do Is Dream," "Apple Suckling Tree" and others. Eventually, rumors of Dylan and The Band's enormous stash of unreleased recordings began to circulate.

John Fahey discography [1964-2005]

John Aloysius Fahey (February 28, 1939 – February 22, 2001) was an American fingerstyle guitarist and composer who played the steel-string acoustic guitar as a solo instrument. His style has been greatly influential and has been described as the foundation of American Primitivism, a term borrowed from painting and referring mainly to the self-taught nature of the music and its minimalist style. Fahey borrowed from the folk and blues traditions in American roots music, having compiled many forgotten early recordings in these genres. He would later incorporate classical, Portuguese, Brazilian, and Indian music into his œuvre. Fahey wrote a largely apocryphal autobiography. He spent many of his later years in poverty and poor health, but enjoyed a minor career resurgence with a turn towards the more explicitly avant-garde, and created a series of abstract paintings during the last years of his life. He died in 2001 from complications from heart surgery. In 2003, he was ranked 35th in the Rolling Stone "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. 

Imagine...Harry Nilsson the Missing Beatle - BBC 4 (documentary video)

 

A wildly entertaining, star–studded documentary about The Beatles’s favorite American musician, WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (AND WHY IS EVERYBODY TALKIN’ ABOUT HIM)? is a vibrant and definitive portrait of one of the most talented singer–songwriters in pop music history. Directed by Emmy and Grammy nominee John Scheinfeld (THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON, the film combines compelling interviews with Nilsson’s family, friends and colleagues — including Brian Wilson, Randy Newman, Robin Williams, Micky Dolenz and Yoko Ono — with rare and never–before–seen archival footage, home movies.

 

Lead Belly - The Smithsonian Folkways Collection [5 CD, 2015/FLAC]

 

Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, the first career-spanning box set dedicated to the American music icon, is a 5 CD, 140-page, large-format book featuring 5 hours of music with 16 unreleased tracks.

A companion to 2012 s GRAMMY-winning Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection, Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection chronicles the recordings of Huddie "Lead Belly" Ledbetter (c. 1888¬ 1949) in 108 tracks over five discs, including Lead Belly s beloved classics "The Midnight Special, " "Goodnight Irene, " and "Black Girl (Where Did You Sleep Last Night) " among many others. The collection also boasts 16 previously unreleased recordings, including four never-before-available original songs, and radio programs Lead Belly made for WNYC which can be heard for the first time since airing in 1941.

The set also features many rare photos, among them an intimate portrait taken shortly before his untimely death from ALS (Lou Gehrig s Disease) in 1949. It is one of the few known color photographs of the legend.

 

America – Classic Album Collection: The Capitol Years (6 CD, 2019/FLAC)

 

America is a British-American rock band formed in London in 1970 by Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley. The trio met as sons of US Air Force personnel stationed in London, where they began performing live. Achieving significant popularity in the 1970s, the trio was famous for their close vocal harmonies and light acoustic folk rock sound. This 6-CD box set features the bands entire Capitol output together for the first time.

 

The Ian Campbell Folk Group - The Complete Transatlantic Recordings (4 CD, 2016/FLAC)

 

The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s. The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They performed a mixture of British traditional folk music and new material, including compositions by Campbell. Much of their popularity flowed from the variety of their performance which included a mixture of solos, group vocals and instrumentals. 

This 4 CD collection gathers together for the first time the entire Ian Campbell Folk Group catalogue recorded for Transatlantic Records, covering the period 1963-1968. This collection includes 6 studio albums plus related bonus material from the period. The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most respected, influential and best known British folk groups of the 1960's. Taking their origins from Aberdeen, the band formed in Birmingham in 1958. They signed to Transatlantic Records in 1963 and proceeded to record the content of this collection over the next 6 years. They topped the bill at the Royal Albert Hall, made numerous TV appearances, attended the Newport Folk Festival in 1964 and were prolific live performers throughout Europe. Dave Swarbrick and Dave Pegg who both achieved fame with Fairport Convention, are featured in this collection 

• Ian Campbell (Vocals)
• Lorna Campbell (Vocals)
• Brian Clark (Vocals, Guitar)
• John Dunkerley (Banjo, Guitar)
• George Watts (Fluite)
• Dave Pegg (Bass)

 

Trees - Trees (50th Anniversary Edition) (4 CD, 2020/FLAC)

Trees was a British folk rock band recording and touring throughout 1969, 1970 and 1971, reforming briefly to continue performing throughout 1972. Although the group met with little commercial success in their time, the reputation of the band has grown over the years, and underwent a renaissance in 2007 following Gnarls Barkley's sampling of the track "Geordie" (from Trees’ second album On The Shore) on the title track of their multi-million selling album St. Elsewhere. 

It’s now over fifty years since Trees’ formation, a band who helped define ‘Acid Folk’, creating a sub-category in the lexicon of record dealers and music critics alike. Earth’s new Trees collection brings together both albums adding shiny alternate mixes of key tracks along with a selection of radio sessions and demos, all sounding brighter and cleaner than ever before.

Trees first album, ‘The Garden of Jane Delawney’ (1970) snuggles nicely into contemporary nu-folkies’ idea of the genre, and shares some of the pastoral-whimsy that characterised The Incredible String Band or Donovan, offset by some stunning interpretations of traditional material and Bias’ own songs, which were somehow part of the tradition Trees had adopted. Readings of ‘Lady Margaret’, ‘Glasgerion’ and the old standard ‘She Moved Thro’ The Fair’, and the extended fade of the group’s own ‘Road’, presage the explosive instrumental duelling that would come to characterise the follow up album, ‘On The Shore’.

This special expansive collector’s edition celebrates the bands 50th anniversary. 

 

Pete Seeger - American Favourite Ballads (5 CD, 2009/FLAC)

 

Pete Seeger's life, music, and legacy encapsulate nearly a century of American history and culture. He has immersed himself in folk music and used it, like Johnny Appleseed, to "plant the seeds of a better tomorrow in the homes across our land." The songs in this collection of 139 American Favorite Ballads narrate tales of ordinary people and their extraordinary deeds, and show Pete at the crossroads of the past and the future putting his own stamp on America's folk song heritage while bequeathing it to generations to come.