Cream - Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 (DVDRIP video)

 

Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 is a live album by the British rock band Cream, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in 2005 during the band's reunion tour. As the title implies, the recording includes songs from their four reunion shows on 2, 3, 5, and 6 May 2005. 

•     Jack Bruce – vocals, bass guitar, harmonica
•     Eric Clapton – guitar, vocals
•     Ginger Baker – drums, cowbells, vocals

 

VA - The Casablanca Records Story (4 CD, 1994/FLAC)

Casablanca Records, Inc. was formed in 1973 by former Buddah Records executives Neil Bogart (who named the label as an homage to the classic film Casablanca), Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris and Buck Reingold.

Casablanca's first major signing was Kiss. Casablanca became most successful as a disco label, signing artists like Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, the Village People, Brooklyn Dreams, Patti Brooks and Lipps, Inc. (with lead vocalist Cynthia Johnson) as well as Four Tops, Cher, Irene Cara, Captain And Tennille, Dr. Hook, Mac Davis and George Clinton's great P-Funk band Parliament. 

America - Warner Bros Years 1971-1977 (8 CD, 2015/FLAC)

  

A practical, no-frills clamshell box set celebrating the soft rock/folk-pop hitmakers' '70s heyday, the Warner Bros. Years 1971-1977 rounds up seven complete studio albums and one live LP. Comprised of America (1971), Homecoming (1972), Hat Trick (1973), Holiday (1974), Hearts (1975), Hideaway (1976), Harbor (1977), and America Live (1977), all of which were remastered in 2014, the collection is aimed squarely at completists. Like their closest sonic contemporaries Seals & Crofts, the trio of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek was an unstoppable FM/AM radio force for the era, securing future classic soft rock staples like "Horse with No Name," "Ventura Highway,' "Muskrat Love," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," and "Sister Golden Hair," many of which were impeccably produced by George Martin. Really the only thing missing here is the group's 1982 comeback hit "You Can Do Magic," which would make Rhino's excellent 2000 Highway: 30 Years of America the better choice for casual fans, but longtime America devotees will appreciate having the new studio masters all in one place, as well as the neatly arranged original album art and inserts.

Spirit - Rockpalast 78 - West Coast Legends Vol.3 [DVDRIP video, 2009 ]

 

Filmed on March 5th 1978 in Essen at the Grugahalle.

The appearance of the legendary rock group, Spirit, with guitarist Randy California and drummer Ed Cassidy at the Rockpalast-Festival on March 4th and 5th will be a notable event: is it the group's first concert in Europe after several years. For over ten years, the American group Spirit has been commonly recognized, on the whole, as one of the most influential and important rock groups. Their album 'Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus' is a rock classic. Formed in 1967, Spirit today represents the development of the music of the American west coast in all it's aspects.


A special highlight came towards the end of the show when Dickey Betts, who had appeared on stage with his band Great Southern before Spirit joined to band.

• Randy California - g/voc/Moog Taurus
• Ed Cassidy - dr
• Larry "Fuzzy" Knight - b

 

The Levon Helm Band – The Midnight Ramble Sessions Vol. 1 - 3 [2006-2014] (FLAC)

 

In 2004, Levon Helm was eager to play music again after a bout with throat cancer but wasn’t up to touring yet, so he began hosting weekly concerts at the recording studio at his estate; calling the show “The Midnight Ramble,” the concerts featured Helm and a handful of talented friends as well as occasional guest stars, and became quite popular among his fan following. Helm recorded most of the concerts, and two years after his passing, the third in a series of albums featuring music from the “Ramble” performances has arrived.

 Featuring music recorded between 2005 and 2010, The Midnight Ramble Sessions, Vol. 3 is the most entertaining installment in the series so far, mainly because it’s the most diverse; Helm only takes the lead vocal on four songs here (doubtless in deference to his weakened vocal cords), but he’s engaged and authoritative when he has the strength, especially on the feisty “One More Shot,” and his drumming is typically splendid as he and his band make their way through country heartache (“Turn Around”), slinky, hard-as-nails boogie (“The Same Thing”), blues-shot gospel (“God Don’t Never Change”), strutting uptempo Chicago-style blues (“I’m a Jealous Man”), and bluegrass gospel harmonies (“The Beautiful Lie”). A few guests add some extra star power here, with Allen Toussaint lending fine vocals and excellent piano to “A Certain Girl,” while Chris Robinson brings some suitably wiry vocals to “Shake Your Money Maker,” and a few of the tunes get a fresh twist, most notably Brian Mitchell’s New Orleans-style reworking of Bob Dylan’s “Simple Twist of Fate.” Like most of Levon Helm’s shows in his last decade, The Midnight Ramble Sessions, Vol. 3 feels more like a revue than a headlining performance from the man who was the soul of the Band, but this is all music that spoke to him, and he brought out the best in his accompanists; no matter how much fate tried to bring Helm down, once he stepped on-stage, he gave all he had, and this album testifies eloquently to that.