Jimi Hendrix - Box of Gypsys: The Complete Recorded Legacy (Revised) [1969-1970/FLAC]

 

Band of Gypsys
1969-12-31 & 1970-01-01
Fillmore East, New York City

• Jimi Hendrix: Guitar & vocals
• Billy Cox: Bass
• Buddy Miles: Drums & Vocals

Fairport Convention- Come All Ye - The First Ten Years (1968 to 1978) (7 CD, 2017)

 

Compiled by Andrew Batt, the curator of the very successful show, ‘The Lady – A Tribute To Sandy Denny’, which toured the UK in 2012, this collection celebrates Fairport Convention’s first 10 years, beginning with their eponymous debut for Polydor in 1968, through all of their seminal albums for Island Records and finishing with tracks from their two albums for Vertigo, The Bonny Bunch of Roses and Tippers Tales.

Of the 121 tracks featured here, 55 are previously unreleased. Highlights include key tracks from all of their classic albums, single B-sides, BBC Radio Sessions, 5 songs from the French TV programme, ‘Pop 2’ (December 1970), 5 songs from the Television show, ‘The Man They Couldn’t Hang’ (1971) and the audio for an entire concert at The Fairfield Halls, Croydon (December 16th 1973) plus 2 songs recorded live for the Scottish Television programme, ‘Anne Lorne Gillies – The World of Music’ (1976). The set comes complete with liner notes by respected English writer, Patrick Humphries, author of many highly regarded books including, ‘Nick Drake – The Biography’ ( Bloomsbury 1998 ), ‘Richard Thompson – The Biography’ ( Music Sales Ltd 1997 ) and ‘The Many Lives of Tom Waites’ (Omnibus Press 1989).

Jethro Tull - Original Album Series, Vol.2 [5 CD, 2016/FLAC]

 

CD1 - Under Wraps (1984)

CD2 - Crest of a Knave (1987)

CD3 - Rock Island (1989)

CD4 - Catfish Rising (1991)

CD5 - Roots to Branches (1995)

Grateful Dead & Merry Pranksters - The Acid Test Reels 1965-1967 [6 CD]

 

Grateful Dead & Merry Pranksters
The Acid Test Reels
1965-1967

The Acid Tests were a series of psychedelic parties held by Ken Kesey in the San Francisco Bay Area during the mid 1960s, centered entirely around the use, experimentation, and advocacy of LSD, also known as "acid."
The name "Acid Test" was coined by Kesey, after the term "acid test" used by gold miners in the 1850s. He advertised the parties with posters that read, "Can YOU Pass The Acid Test?", and the name was later popularized in Tom Wolfe's 1968 book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Musical performances by the Grateful Dead were commonplace, along with black lights, strobe lights, and fluorescent paint. The Acid Tests are notable for their influence on the LSD-based counterculture of the San Francisco area and subsequent transition from the beat generation to the hippie movement.

Albert Collins - The Complete Imperial Recordings [2 CD, 1991/FLAC]

 

Albert Collins, "The Master of the Telecaster," "The Iceman," and "The Razor Blade" was robbed of his best years as a blues performer by a bout with liver cancer that ended with his premature death on November 24, 1993. He was just 61 years old. The highly influential, totally original Collins, like the late John Campbell, was on the cusp of a much wider worldwide following via his deal with Virgin Records' Pointblank subsidiary. However, unlike Campbell, Collins had performed for many more years, in obscurity, before finally finding a following in the mid-'80s.

Texan Albert Collins was in the very first rank of post-war blues guitarists. This two-CD set is a reissue of all 36 sides he cut for Imperial from 1968 to 1970, representing this artist's second major recording stint. Instrumentals comprise roughly three-fourths of the material. They frame his distinctive guitar work with a tight ensemble of organ, bass, and drums, adding at times a piano and/or second guitar, punctuated by a horn section. About ten of these tunes are as great as anything Collins ever did. They are riddled with the biting, incisive, dramatic, and economical playing that made him a legend. There are also some outstanding vocals. Although this set is not without its clinkers, it is a solid package and a must for any Collins fan.