Saxon - The Complete Albums 1979-1988 (10 CD, 2014/FLAC)

 Saxon was one of the early leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, alongside Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, even outdistancing them at the onset. Emerging in 1977, the band found commercial success with the release of their seminal sophomore effort, 1980's Wheels of Steel, which went platinum in the UK. Subsequent efforts Strong Arm of the Law (1980), Denim and Leather (1981), and Power & the Glory also did well at home, with the latter outing cracking the Billboard 200, but a series of bad decisions and bad breaks, as well as internal strife, severely stunted the band's momentum toward the end of the '80s. Still, Saxon persevered, recording and performing consistently into the 21st century, and ultimately attaining respectability from the heavy metal community, particularly in mainland Europe.

1979 - Saxon 

1980 - Wheels Of Steel 

1980 - Strong Arm Of The Law 

1981 - Denim And Leather 

1982 - The Eagle Has Landed (Live) 

1983 - Power & The Glory 

1984 - Crusader 

1985 - Innocence Is No Excuse 

1986 - Rock The Nations 

1988 - Destiny 

 

 

VA - Greatest Ever Decade 70's (4 CD, 2021/FLAC)

 

 

 

Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Cripple Creek (2 CD, 2009/FLAC)

 Four original Folkways 10" LPs complete, plus 9 bonus cuts.

This set collects four albums released on the Folkways label from the 1950's, plus nine tracks from the 1940's. Two of the albums ("Get On Board"--1952 and "Washboard Band-Country Dance Music"--1956) feature both Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, while the remaining two ("Sonny Terry's Washboard Band"--1955 and "Brownie McGhee's Blues"--1955) are solo albums from both artists respectively.

This relatively early music is a combination of folk (listen to Pete Seeger's banjo) and blues styles in the "Carolina" (Piedmont) style. Even though these are post-war recordings, they hark back to an earlier era of country blues with strains of folk music--thanks to Seeger's fine, sensitive playing. These are some of the earlier examples of both Terry's and McGhee's duo and individual styles. Fans of both these performers who want to hear early examples of their style of blues singing /harp playing/guitar style will want to hear these sides.

• Sonny Terry  Harmonica, Trombone, Vocals, Washboard, Washtub Bass
• Brownie McGhee  Guitar, Vocals
• William Edward Cook Washboard
• Coyall McMahan Maracas
• Frank Robertson Guitar (Bass)
• Pete Seeger 5-string Banjo, Engineering Supervisor

 

 

Jimmy Page - Session Man Vol. 1 & 2 (2 CD, 1990/FLAC)

 

Jimmy Page: Session Man is a two-volume compilation album featuring tracks by various artists on which Jimmy Page performed as a session musician, recorded between 1963 and 1968. The album was released by AIP Records (a subsidiary of Bomp! Records) in 1989 (first volume) and the second was released in 1990. Some of the tracks were mastered from vinyl due to the rare nature of the recordings.

The artwork and title are similar to a bootleg compilation released by Slipped Disc Records in 1979, titled James Patrick Page: Session Man.

 

 

The Animals - The Complete (1964-1967) [11 CD, 2003/FLAC]

 

The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London. Known for their gritty, bluesy sound and deep-voiced frontman Eric Burdon – as exemplified by their number one signature song "The House of the Rising Sun" as well as by hits such as "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life" – the band balanced tough, rock-edged pop singles against rhythm and blues-oriented album material. They became known in the United States as part of the British Invasion.

The Animals underwent numerous personnel changes in the mid-1960s and suffered from poor business management. Under the name Eric Burdon and the Animals, they moved to California and achieved commercial success as a psychedelic rock band, before disbanding at the end of the decade. Altogether, the group had ten Top Twenty hits in both the UK and US.

The original lineup had a brief comeback in 1977 and 1983. There have been several partial regroupings of the original era members since then under various names.