The J.B.'s - Funky Good Time: The Anthology (2 CD, 1995/FLAC)

The J.B.'s recorded under various billings in the early '70s, including the J.B.'s, Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s, Maceo & the Macks, the First Family, the Last Word, and others. This double CD gathers 30 of the prime tracks by all of the above configurations from the first half of the '70s, including all nine of their chart hits and quite a few rare singles and long versions. Often, James Brown himself chips in with incidental vocals (though this is mostly instrumental) and keyboards. The two-and-a-half-hour program can start to sound monotonous if taken all at once, but it's prime, often riveting funk, jammed with lockstep grooves that vary between basic R&B vamps and imaginative, almost jazzy improvisation.

James Brown (vocals, organ, synthesizer, drums); Lyn Collins, Vicki Anderson (vocals); Phelps "Catfish" Collins, Hearlon "Cheese" Martin, Jimmy Nolen (guitar); Jimmy Parker (alto saxophone); Maceo Parker (alto saxophone, flute); St. Clair Pinckney (tenor saxophone); Darryl "Hasaan" Jamison, Jerone "Jasaan" Sanford, Russell Crimes, Isaiah "Ike" Oakley (trumpet); Fred Wesley (trombone, vocals); Bobby Byrd (piano); Dave Matthews (electric piano, organ); William "Bootsy" Collins, Fred Thomas (bass); John "Jabo" Starks (drums); Johnny Griggs (congas).

 

 

Joni Mitchell - Archives, Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) [5 CD, 2021/FLAC]

The first volume of the Joni Mitchell Archives series shed significant light on the beginning of Mitchell’s musical journey, compiling a wealth of unreleased demos, radio broadcasts, and live tapes from the years just before she began making records. The extensive collection painted a detailed picture of Mitchell’s nascent years growing as a songwriter and performer in the independent folkie scene, and Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 2: The Reprise Years 1968-1971 does just as thorough and impressive a job of drawing back the curtain on the lively period surrounding her first four albums. 

The collection moves in chronological order, beginning with some rough home demos for songs from 1968 debut Song to a Seagull and its 1969 follow-up, Clouds. Hissy home recordings of tracks like Clouds’ “Roses Blue” offer interesting counterpoint to the more polished studio versions, and documentation of this phase also includes outtakes from the Song to a Seagull sessions.  

 

 

Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (5 CD Deluxe, 2022/FLAC)

A sprawling new box set full of demos and alternate takes suggests a dazzling array of paths the Chicago group might have taken on their masterpiece.

Wilco's legendary 4th studio album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, was originally released on April 23, 2002. It delivered ten songs that have since become favorites among fans and critics alike. It scored a perfect 10 on Pitchfork, which hailed the album as "complex and dangerously catchy, lyrically sophisticated and provocative, noisy and somehow serene...simply a masterpiece." And as the New York Times put it, Jeff Tweedy's songs "unfold in richly enigmatic arrangements."

This 7LP/5 CD Deluxe Edition of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot features the original eleven songs remastered, plus an alternate version of the album (titled The Unified Theory Of Everything). Additionally, the songs performed on the September 18, 2001 WXRT radio appearance are included, as is the entire July 23, 2002 show from The Pageant in St. Louis, MO. The vinyl is mastered by Bob Ludwig and cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering on black vinyl. The package (designed by Lawrence Azerrad) includes a new essay by music journalist Bob Mehr featuring recent interviews with Jeff Tweedy, John Stirratt and Glenn Kotche plus previously unseen live and studio photos.

 

 

KISS - Transmission Impossible (3 CD, 2015/FLAC)

This superb triple disc set illustrates perfectly what KISS do best - perform their incredible music in a live setting. Featuring radio broadcasts from their very earliest incarnation in 1974, and from the later period in the 1980s when they d taken off the make up, plus bonus interviews with the three most pivotal members - Simmons, Stanley & Frehley - recorded for radio during the group s golden age, this collection will remain a must-have item for the millions of fans still flying the flag still for this quite extraordinary and legendary collective.

3x CD Set FM Radio Broadcasts - Music & Interview.

 

Pink Floyd - Compilations & Live albums [FLAC]

Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows. They became a leading band of the progressive rock genre, cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time.

1971 Relics

1981 A Collection of Great Dance Songs

1983 Works

1988 Delicate Sound Of Thunder

1992 The Early Singles

1995 Pulse

2000 Is There Anybody Out There

2001 Echoes - The Best of Pink Floyd

2005 London 1966-1967

2011 Best Of - A Foot In The Door

2016 Cre-ation - The Early Years 1967-1972

2019 The Later Years 1987-2019