VA - ABC of the Blues [52 CD, 2010] Vol.41-52

 

 

This 52 disc Ultimate Collection features music from the Delta to the Big Cities. This special first edition also includes a historic puck harmonica. How blue can you get? You will find your favorites here and discover some hidden gems, as the 'ABC of the Blues' brings together the best of the best.

It presents some of the most influential Blues musicians - some of the most influential musicians, period. Their styles may range as far and wide as their attitudes, their concepts, yes, even their stories and legends. The oldest member of the distinct congregation were born in the late 19th century. Some of the young'uns still record and perform to this day. The music may lift you up or get you down. But one thing is for sure:

The Blues will live on!

Paul Carrack - Collected (3 CD, 2012) (FLAC)

 Paul Melvyn Carrack (born 22 April 1951) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who has recorded as both a solo artist and as a member of several popular bands. The BBC described him as "The Man with the Golden Voice", adding: "Carrack is a journeyman of British rock, soul and pop whose career has unfolded slowly and steadily until he has become something of a national treasure." William Pinfold of Record Collector, acknowledging Carrack's cult status, remarked: "If vocal talent equalled financial success, Paul Carrack would be a bigger name than legends such as Phil Collins or Elton John."

Carrack arose to prominence in the mid-1970s as the frontman and principal songwriter of Ace, and gained further recognition for his work as a solo artist and for his tenures as a member of Roxy Music, Squeeze and Roger Waters' backing group, The Bleeding Heart Band, intermittently handling lead vocals on Squeeze and Waters recordings. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, he enjoyed considerable success as the co-frontman (with Paul Young) and a songwriter for Mike + The Mechanics; following Young's death in 2000, Carrack served as the band's sole lead vocalist until his departure in 2004. He maintains an active solo career to the present day.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding with the King (Deluxe Edition) (2020.FLAC)

  

Riding with the King is a blues album by Eric Clapton and B.B. King that was released in 2000. It was their first collaborative album and won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.

The potential for a collaboration between B.B. King and Eric Clapton is enormous, of course, and the real questions concern how it is organized and executed. This first recorded pairing between the 74-year-old King and the 55-year-old Clapton was put together in the most obvious way: Clapton arranged the session using many of his regular musicians, picked the songs, and co-produced with his partner Simon Climie. That ought to mean that King would be a virtual guest star rather than earning a co-billing, but because of Clapton's respect for his elder, it nearly works the other way around. The set list includes lots of King specialties -- "Ten Long Years," "Three O'Clock Blues," "Days of Old," "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer" -- as well as standards like "Hold on I'm Coming" and "Come Rain or Come Shine," with some specially written and appropriate recent material thrown in, so King has reason to be comfortable without being complacent. The real danger is that Clapton will defer too much; though he can be inspired by a competing guitarist such as Duane Allman, he has sometimes tended to lean too heavily on accompanists such as Albert Lee and Mark Knopfler when working with them in concert. That danger is partially realized; as its title indicates, Riding With the King is more about King than it is about Clapton. But the two players turn out to have sufficiently complementary, if distinct, styles so that Clapton's supportive role fills out and surrounds King's stinging single-string playing. (It's also worth noting that there are usually another two or three guitarists on each track.) The result is an effective, if never really stunning, work. 

•     B.B. King – guitar, co-lead vocals
•     Eric Clapton – guitar, co-lead vocals (tracks 1, 3–9, 11, 12)
•     Doyle Bramhall II – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9–12), background vocals (tracks 4, 7)
•     Andy Fairweather Low – guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 9–12)
•     Jimmie Vaughan – guitar (track 6)
•     Joe Sample – acoustic piano (1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11), Wurlitzer piano (tracks 1, 2, 11)
•     Tim Carmon – organ (tracks 1–7, 9–12)
•     Paul Waller – programming
•     Nathan East – bass
•     Steve Gadd – drums
•     Arif Mardin – string arrangements
•     Susannah Melvoin – background vocals (tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12)
•     Wendy Melvoin – background vocals (tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12)

01. Riding with the King (04:23)

02. Ten Long Years (04:41)

03. Key to the Highway (03:40)

04. Marry You (04:59)

05. Three O'Clock Blues (08:37)

06. Help the Poor (05:06)

07. I Wanna Be (04:46)

08. Worried Life Blues (04:26)

09. Days of Old (03:00)

10. When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer (07:10)

11. Hold on I'm Coming (06:20)

12. Come Rain or Come Shine (04:12)

13. Rollin' and Tumblin' (04:32)

14. Let Me Love You (05:07)

VA - The Old Grey Whistle Test - 40th Anniversary Album [3 CD, 2011/FLAC]

 

This anniversary release is a three CD collection featuring classic rock acts from the Old Grey Whistle Test era including the likes of Elton John, Eric Clapton, The Who, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, as well as a number of American new wave artists such as Blondie, The Ramones and Talking Heads. The bonus tracks were recorded live on the Old Grey Whistle Test and cover the shows entire 16 years and as such have a more diverse feel with artists from Alice Cooper and John Lennon to Magazine and Simple Minds. The album is packaged in a deluxe reverse board digipak.

The Old Grey Whistle Test (usually abbreviated to Whistle Test or OGWT) is an influential BBC2 television music show that ran from 1971 to 1987. It took over the BBC2 late night slot from "Disco Two", which had been running since January 1970, while continuing to feature non-chart music. It was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers. According to presenter Bob Harris, the programme derived its name from a Tin Pan Alley phrase from years before. When they got the first pressing of a record they would play it to people they called the old greys—doormen in grey suits. The songs they could remember and whistle, having heard it just once or twice, had passed the old grey whistle test.

Kaipa - The Decca Years 1975-1978 [5 CD, 2005/FLAC]

 

In their early years, Kaipa was one of Sweden's best Symphonic Prog bands. Roine Stolt from The Flower Kings was a member of Kaipa. Their albums contain mostly instrumental music, drawing its influences from classic progressive Rock bands (Camel, Yes, Genesis), Classical music (Bach), and also Swedish Folk music. The Decca Years is a compilation of the three first albums from Kaipa, released under the Decca label during the years of 1975 to 1978. It also includes a demo which was previously unreleased, and a previously unreleased live set.