Big Bill Broonzy – The War And Postwar Years 1940 - 1951 (4 CD, 2007)

 

Mississippi-born guitarist Big Bill Broonzy had a voice that could really grow on you. The living embodiment of the rural-to-urban blues tradition, he often infused the gutsy, sometimes brutally honest immediacy of acoustic Chicago blues and good time hokum with the lonely intensity of the field holler. Vol. 3 in JSP's extensively complete Big Bill Broonzy retrospective covers his recording activity between the years 1940 and 1951, a time span that takes in the Second World War and its aftermath. His musical companions during this decade included the mighty Washboard Sam, a wonderful string bassist named Ransom Knowling, harmonica ace Jazz Gillum, blues saxophonist Buster Bennett, pianists Blind John Davis, Big Maceo Merriweather and Memphis Slim, and seasoned jazzmen Punch Miller, Don Byas and Slick Jones. This excellent set offers 99 examples of Broonzy's personalized musical responses to everything that life had to offer or snatch away. Topics include romance, jealousy and heartache; honest labor, conscription and prison, as well as betrayal, alcohol and insomnia. Big Bill was also fond of old-time folk melodies and included them regularly in his repertoire. This outstanding tribute is the perfect introduction to Broonzy; it will also delight those who already know his music, love and respect his memory, and who will hasten to track down the rest of his recordings as reissued by JSP.

 

Grateful Dead - Beyond Description (1973-1989) [12 CD, 2004/FLAC+320]

12 CD box set reissue of all the Grateful Dead studio albums released between 1973 and 1989 plus the two live releases Reckoning and Dead Set. All albums include previously unreleased bonus material. In total the box set includes 65 previously unreleased tracks. The set is accompanied by two 90+ page booklets "The Band" and "The Albiums".

 

 

Manfred Mann's Earth Band discography [1972-2004/FLAC]

 

An R&B band that only played pop to get on the charts, Manfred Mann and its various permutations ranked among the most adept British Invasion acts in both styles. South African-born keyboardist Manfred Mann was originally an aspiring jazz player, moving toward R&B when more blues-oriented sounds became in vogue in England in the early '60s. Original Manfred Mann singer Paul Jones was one of the best British Invasion singers, and his resonant vocals were the best feature of their early R&B sides, which had a slightly jazzier and smoother touch than the early work of the Rolling Stones and Animals.

Robert Wyatt - Different Every Time [2 CD, 2014/FLAC]

 

Domino are proud to release 'Different Every Time', a new compilation album of the works of Robert Wyatt. Curated by Robert together with Domino and biographer Marcus O'Dair, the double album features disk 1 'Ex Machina', the ideal introduction for the Wyatt novice, compiling tracks from Robert's entire career to date and acting as a companion to O'Dair's new biography , also titled 'Different Every Time' (released by Serpent's Tail on the 30th of October). Disk 2 brings together the best of Robert's collaborations and guest appearances, or, as Robert has it, 'benign dictatorships', including some very special oddities and rarities available here for the very first time.

 

Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green : The Early Years 1968-1970 (DVDRIP video)

 

This is the probably the only video (story) recording during Peter Green's playing days with Fleetwood Mac. This video follows the band in their Bitish blues heyday. This is long before the the pop rock band that most people are familiar with. The music and the video are raw and capture the time in which they were made.