Steve Winwood - The Finer Things (4 CD, 1995/FLAC)

 

The Finer Things is a compilation album box set of recordings by Steve Winwood. It includes songs from his early days with The Spencer Davis Group through Traffic and Blind Faith and into his work during his solo career. 

Steve Winwood has led a long and varied career, recording everything from straight R&B and jazz-flavored rock to folk and pop. Over the course of four discs, The Finer Things chronicles the entirety of his career, beginning with the Spencer Davis Group, through Traffic and Blind Faith, right until his successful solo career. It includes all of the hits and many of his finest album tracks, yet the overall approach is rather exhausting -- the rarities are rarely illuminating, they're just there for the sake of being there. Nevertheless, it is a worthwhile purchase for anyone wanting a comprehensive picture of Winwood in all of his various guises. 

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass [Super Deluxe 5 CD, 2021] (FLAC + 24/192)

 

George Harrison’s masterpiece, ‘All Things Must Pass’, is being celebrated with a suite of new 50th anniversary editions, including multiple limited physical and digital configurations featuring sessions outtakes and jams.

Decades in the making and lovingly crafted by the Harrison family, All Things Must Pass has now been completely remixed from the original tapes for this stunning release that fulfills Harrison’s longtime desire. Executive produced by Dhani Harrison and mixed by triple GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon), the new mix transforms the album by sonically upgrading it – making it sound brighter, fuller and better than ever before. 

 

Neil Young - Official Release Series Volume 5 (5 CD, 2023) [FLAC]

Neil Young continues his occasional Official Release Series box sets with a new volume (No 5) which brings together four albums released as the 1980s turned into the 1990s.

The albums are 1989’s Freedom, Ragged Glory from 1990, the live album Weld and it’s experimental companion, Arc (both 1991). These are discs 22, 23+, 24 and 25 in the series. The ‘+’ for Ragged Glory indicates some bonus material which is two B-sides (‘Interstate’ and ‘Don’t Spook The Horse’) and unreleased versions of ‘Box Car’ and ‘Born To Run’, the latter a 12-minute version.

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.

Steve Hillage - Searching For The Spark (22CD Super Deluxe Box Set) [2016/FLAC]

Steve Hillage is associated with the Canterbury scene of the late ’60s / early ’70s and formed short-lived outfit Khan; worked with Kevin Ayers for a while; was a member of Gong and then went on to release a series of solo albums in the late 1970s, including Fish Rising, L, Motivation Radio and Green. 

The 22CD box set (it contains no vinyl) is enormous, weighing in at nearly five kilograms, thanks, in part, to the inclusion of a hefty 188-page hardcover book, written and assembled by Steve Hillage and Gong family expert Jonny Greene, the book contains hundreds of rare and previously unseen photographs and cuttings. It’s limited to 2500 copies worldwide and was first released in late 2016.

1969 Arzachel / Uriel

1972 Space Shanty / Khan

1975 Fish Rising

1976 L

1977 Motivation Radio

1978 Green

1978 Live Herald

1979 Rainbow Dome Musick

1979 Open

1983 For To Next / And Not Or

1991 System 7

1976 / 1979 BBC Radio 1 In Concert (2CD)

1978 Deeply Vale

1977 Live At The Brighton Dome

1979 Live At Schwabinger Bräu, Munich

1979 Live At The Odeon Hammersmith

2006 At The Gong Family Unconvention / The Steve Hillage Band

2016 Sparks Vol 1 1970-73

2016 Sparks Vol 2 1974-76

2016 Sparks Vol 3 1976-79

2016 Sparks Vol 4 1980-90

Dave Matthews Band & Co. - Live Trax series [FLAC]

 

Live Trax series

Beginning in 2004, Dave Matthews Band began releasing a number of live shows as part of the Live Trax series, most of which are not sold in stores. These are available by order or digital download from the band's website. The name Live Trax is a reference to the former Trax Nightclub in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the band played over 120 shows during their early years from 1991-1996. Due to a high demand in the Boston, Massachusetts area, Live Trax Vol. 6 became the first volume in the series to be sold in stores in addition to the band's online store.

 

VA - Blues Story [30 CD, 1998-1999/FLAC]

Discs from this collection began to appear on sale one by one at the beginning of 1998. The collection was designed primarily for admirers of blues and wishing to join it in France, Canada and other francophone countries, since its literary part was originally made in French and it seems , and has not been translated into other languages. Every two weeks in the newsstands it was possible to get another CD with 15 songs, which was accompanied by a 16-strip competently compiled colorful booklet in A4 format. 

1998 - Blues Story Vol 01 - Les rois du blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 02 - Le blues anglais

1998 - Blues Story Vol 03 - Les labels de legende Chess Record

1998 - Blues Story Vol 04 - Le blues rock

1998 - Blues Story Vol 05 - Le rock’n’roll noir & le rhythm’n’blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 06 - Les grandes voix du blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 07 - Les guitar heroes du blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 08 - Le Louisiana blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 09 - Chicago Blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 10 - Concert Vol 1

1998 - Blues Story Vol 11 - Le blues blanc

1998 - Blues Story Vol 12 - The West Coast blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 13 - Le blues rock Vol 2

1998 - Blues Story Vol 14 - Le Texas blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 15 - Les labels de legende Vee Jay & Sun

1998 - Blues Story Vol 16 - Les labels de legende Chess Record Vol 2

1998 - Blues Story Vol 17 - Le blues au feminin

1998 - Blues Story Vol 18 - La nouvelle scene du blues

1998 - Blues Story Vol 19 - Les labels de legende Alligator Records

1998 - Blues Story Vol 20 - Les pianistes et le boogie-woogie

1998 - Blues Story Vol 21 - Concert Vol 2

1998 - Blues Story Vol 22 - Les labels de legende Alligator Records Vol 2

1999 - Blues Story Vol 23 - Les labels de legende Point Blank & Demon

1999 - Blues Story Vol 24 - Soul Blues

1999 - Blues Story Vol 25 - Le blues d'ailleurs

1999 - Blues Story Vol 26 - Folk Blues

1999 - Blues Story Vol 27 - Zydeco & Delta Blues

1999 - Blues Story Vol 28 - Nouvelle vague

1999 - Blues Story Vol 29 - Les labels de legende Chess Records & Demon

1999 - Blues Story Vol 30 - Slide Guitar

The Jimi Hendrix Experience North - American Tour 1969 (7 shows) [FLAC]

Seven shows from the last Jimi Hendrix Experience tour

26 Apr 1969 The Experience

The Forum Inglewood, Los Angeles California USA

27 Apr 1969 The Experience

Oakland Coliseum Oakland California USA

3 May 1969 The Experience

Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto Ontario Canada

17 May 1969 The Experience

Rhode Island Auditorium Providence Rhode Island USA

25 May 1969 The Experience

Northern California Folk-Rock Festival, Santa Clara County Fairgrounds San Jose California USA

20 Jun 1969 The Experience

Newport '69, San Fernando Valley State College Devonshire Downs Northridge California USA

29 Jun 1969 The Experience

Denver Pop Festival, Mile High Stadium Denver Colorado USA

 

The Animals - Retrospective 1964-1970 (2004) [SACD]

Retrospective is a compilation album of The Animals, released by ABKCO in 2004 as Hybrid SACD.

Retrospective looks like just another greatest-hits compilation recycling the same old tracks already easily available elsewhere. Yawn! Yet, on closer inspection, there’s a big difference with this particular set. These 22 tracks are taken from the ABKCO masters and utilize Direct Stream Digital (DSD), containing both CD and Super Audio CD layers. ABKCO initially previewed this technology with much fanfare on the Rolling Stones’ reissues of 2003. That excellence is again applied here and the material undeniably sparkles. The first incarnation of the band with Mickie Most’s production is represented by what have to be the cleanest recordings heard yet of favorites like “House of the Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place,” and “Don’t Bring Me Down.” However, it’s the psychedelic phase of the band, when they became Eric Burdon & the Animals, that the DSD really kicks. Every nuance present, and sometimes hidden, on a song like “San Franciscan Nights,” or “Monterey,” in which the horns noticeably jump out at you, or the battle sequence on “Sky Pilot,” is incredibly vivid whether you’re using high-tech gear or an average playback unit. Even if you’ve heard these tracks a zillion times, this ABKCO release gets you as close to hearing studio playback as you’re likely to get!

 

1. House Of The Rising Sun - 4:29
2. I’m Crying - 2:47
3. Baby Let Me Take You Home - 2:20
4. Gonna Send You Back To Walker - 2:28
5. Boom Boom - 3:18
6. Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood - 2:28
7. Bring It On Home To Me - 2:42
8. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - 3:13
9. It’s My Life - 3:06
10. Don’t Bring Me Down - 3:15
11. See See Rider - 4:00
12. Inside - Looking Out - 3:47
13. Hey Gyp - 3:47
14. Help Me Girl - 2:39
15. When I Was Young - 3:00
16. A Girl Named Sandoz - 3:04
17. San Franciscan Nights - 3:20
18. Monterey - 4:19
19. Anything - 3:22
20. Sky Pilot - 7:30
21. White Houses - 3:50
22. Spill the Wine - 4:04

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Limited Edition 8 LP Box Set (2000) [24-96]

The power and vision of Jimi Hendrix is restored anew with this edition of the acclaimed box set, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. First released in 2000, The Jimi Hendrix Experience presents previously unreleased concert and studio recordings which span the visionary guitarist's remarkable four year career from 1966-1970. Beginning with the first known recordings of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in October 1966 to the guitarist's final multi-track recording session at Electric Lady Studios in August 1970, this unique set concentrates on unreleased or commercially unavailable music. Alternate versions of classics like 'Purple Haze,' 'Foxy Lady' and 'Little Wing' mix with stunning, unheard Hendrix music such as 'It's Too Bad' and 'Country Blues.' These recordings - presented in chronological order - trace the meteoric ascent of the greatest guitarist of all time.

Big Brother And The Holding Company - Cheap Thrills (1968) [2016 SACD]

In many facets, Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills is the quintessential album to spring from the outcome of the Summer of Love. Best known as Janis Joplin's major-label debut, the 1968 set arrived when the countercultural movement was in full swing and before co-optation, drugs, and violence signaled the fall of the era. Ranked #338 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, it puts a female singer in the prominent position traditionally given to a male and showcases a band pouring a potent cocktail of fiery psychedelic, blues, and folk sounds that informed the unfettered creativity of the San Francisco scene. Produced by John Simon, Cheap Thrills also features one of the most iconic and elaborate album covers in history.

 

    Janis Joplin – vocals

    Sam Andrew – guitar, bass on "Oh, Sweet Mary", vocals

    James Gurley – guitar

    Peter Albin – bass, lead guitar on "Oh, Sweet Mary", lead acoustic guitar on "Turtle Blues".

    Dave Getz – drums

1. Combination Of The Two 05:48

2. I Need A Man To Love 04:56

3. Summertime 04:03

4. Piece Of My Heart 04:20

5. Turtle Blues 04:24

6. Oh, Sweet Mary 04:17

7. Ball And Chain 09:34

Them - The Complete Them 1964-1967 (3 CD, 2015) [24-96]

Them were one of the very best R&B acts to come out of the U.K. during the British Invasion era, as tight, wiry, and potent as their contemporaries the Rolling Stones, the Animals, and the Pretty Things. But as good as they were, their greatest strength was always their lead singer and main songwriter, Van Morrison, who even in his earliest days boasted a style that was raw and unapologetic but full of street smarts and imagination. Morrison's run with Them lasted a bit more than two and a half years, but it laid the groundwork for his wildly idiosyncratic solo career as well as setting a standard that the band would never equal after he left to strike out on his own. 

Bonnie Raitt 1971-2022 [FLAC]

Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible recordings in the 1990s including "Nick of Time", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneakin' Up on You", and the slow ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me". Raitt has received nine Grammy Awards in her career and is a lifelong political activist.

1971 - Bonnie Raitt

1972 - Give It Up

1973 - Takin My Time

1974 - Streetlights

1975 - Home Plate

1977 - Sweet Forgiveness

1979 - The Glow

1982 - Green Light

1986 - Nine Lives

1989 - Nick Of Time

1990 - The Collection

1991 - Luck Of The Draw

1994 - Longing In Their Hearts

1994 - Tour Sampler

1995 - Road Tested

1998 - Fundamental

2002 - Silver Lining

2003 - The Best Of On Capitol 1989-2003

2005 - Souls Alike

2010 - The Lost Broadcast Philadelphia 1972

2012 - Slipstream

2014 - Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George & John Hammond - Ultrasonic Studios 1972

2016 - Dig In Deep

2022 - Just Like That

VA- Dear Jerry : Celebrating the Music of Jerry Garcia [2016] [24-48]

On Thursday, 2015, May 14, an extraordinary collection of music stars came together at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, for the concert event of a lifetime, DEAR JERRY: CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF JERRY GARCIA, to honor one of the most influential musicians and cultural icons of our time. The concert event featured performances by: Phil Lesh & Communion, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann’s Billy & the Kids, Buddy Miller, David Grisman, Eric Church, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Frampton, Jorma Kaukonen, Los Lobos, moe., O.A.R., Grace Potter, The Disco Biscuits, Trampled By Turtles, Widespread Panic, and Yonder Mountain String Band.

1. Phil Lesh & Communion - The Wheel Uncle John’s Band 17:00
2. Allen Toussaint & Bill Kreutzmann - Get Out of My Life Woman 3:43
3. David Grisman - Shady Grove 4:42
4. Peter Frampton & Bill Kreutzmann - (I’m a) Road Runner 4:40
5. Buddy Miller - Deal 3:29
6. Jorma Kaukonen - Sugaree 7:30
7. Jimmy Cliff, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann - The Harder They Come 3:33
8. Jimmy Cliff, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann - Fire On the Mountain 6:53
9. Billy & The Kids - Help On the Way Slipknot Franklin’s Tower 10:14
10. The Disco Biscuits & Billy & The Kids - Scarlet Begonias I Know You Rider 12:36
11. moe. - Loser 7:11
12. O.A.R. - St. Stephen 5:38
13. Los Lobos & Bob Weir - Bertha 6:54
14. Trampled By Turtles - Brown-Eyed Women 5:42
15. Yonder Mountain String Band - Shakedown Street 8:28
16. Bob Weir - Days Between 10:19
17. Bob Weir & Grace Potter - Friend of the Devil 6:55
18. Eric Church & Bill Kreutzmann - Tennessee Jed 5:53
19. Widespread Panic - Morning Dew 12:06
20. Bob Weir, Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann - Touch of Grey 6:49
21. Full Ensemble - Ripple 5:29

Yes - Progeny : Seven Shows from Seventy Two (14 CD, 2015) [FLAC + 320]

 

Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two is a 14-CD live album box set from the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 25 May 2015 on Rhino Records. The album consists of seven complete shows recorded in 1972 during the band's Close to the Edge tour. 

Otis Rush 1969-1998 [FLAC]

 

Otis Rush (April 29, 1935 – September 29, 2018) was a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes. With similar qualities to Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, his sound became known as West Side Chicago blues and became an influence on many musicians including Michael Bloomfield and Eric Clapton.

1969 - Mourning In The Morning

1974 - Screamin' And Cryin'

1975 - Cold Day In Hell

1976 - Right Place, Wrong Time

1978 - Troubles, Troubles

1991 - Lost In The Blues

1994 - Ain't Enough Comin' In

1998 - Any Place I'm Going

 

Bonnie Raitt - Original Album Series (5 CD, 2011) [FLAC]

1974 - Streetlights

1975 - Home Plate

1977 - Sweet Forgiveness

1979 - The Glow

1982 - Green Light

Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream (3 CD, 2013/FLAC + DVDRIP + 2xDVD 5)

Sunshine Daydream is a music documentary film, starring the rock band the Grateful Dead. It was shot at their August 27, 1972 concert at the Old Renaissance Faire Grounds in Veneta, Oregon. Unreleased for many years, the film was sometimes shown at small film festivals, and bootleg recordings of it circulated on VHS and DVD, and as digital downloads. A digitally remastered and reedited official version of the film was released on August 1, 2013, showing only one time in selected theaters as that year's edition of the Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies. It was screened with Grateful Days, a new documentary short that includes interviews with some of the concert attendees. Sunshine Daydream was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 17, 2013.

Sunshine Daydream is also a live album containing the complete August 27, 1972 Grateful Dead concert. Produced as a 3-disc CD and as a 4-disc LP, it was released by Rhino Records on September 17, 2013.

The name Sunshine Daydream is taken from the coda section of the Dead song "Sugar Magnolia". 

 

  

Mike Bloomfield 1968-2018 [FLAC]

Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, who became one of the first popular music superstars of the 1960s to earn his reputation almost entirely on his instrumental prowess, as he rarely sang before 1969. Respected for his guitar playing, Bloomfield knew and played with many of Chicago's blues musicians before achieving his own fame and was instrumental in popularizing blues music in the mid-1960s. In 1965, he played on Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, including the single "Like a Rolling Stone", and performed with Dylan at that year's Newport Folk Festival.

Downchild Blues Band / Downchild discography 1971-2020 [FLAC]

Led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Donnie "Mr. Downchild" Walsh, the Downchild Blues Band is the premier blues band in Canada. Their saxophone-driven jump blues provided a major inspiration for Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi's Blues Brothers, who included Walsh's tunes "Everything I Need (Almost)" and "Shotgun Blues" on their 1978 debut album, Briefcase Full of Blues. Formed in 1969 by Walsh and his brother, Richard "Hock" Walsh, the Downchild Blues Band endured continuous personnel turnover. More than 18 musicians came and went, including Gene Taylor, who went on to play with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and Kenny Neal, who joined after leaving the employ of Buddy Guy and relocating to Toronto.