Gram Parsons - A Song For You [7 CD, 2017] (FLAC + 320)

 

American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist Gram Parsons is best known for his work with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. He also popularized what he called “Cosmic American Music”, a hybrid of country, rhythm and blues, soul, folk, and rock. He recorded as a solo artist and with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His relatively short career was described by AllMusic as “enormously influential” for country and rock, “blending the two genres to the point that they became indistinguishable from each other.” His health deteriorated due to several years of drug abuse and he died in 1973 at the age of 26. The official cause of death was an overdose of morphine and alcohol.

Steppenwolf - The Epic Years 1974-1976 (3 CD, 2023/FLAC)

Continuing where The Dunhill / ABC Years box set had left off last year, the next story from Steppenwolf’s legacy continues in the mid-70s when they reformed and signed to Epic Records when they released three albums from the label (Slow Flux, Hour of the Wolf, and Skullduggery) from 1974 to 1976. The next box set from Esoteric Recordings gives us an insight by giving their time with Epic, the proper recognition it deserves.

On Valentine’s Day 1972, Steppenwolf was put to bed. It was the same day that the Mayor of Los Angeles’ own Sam Yorty officially designated as “Steppenwolf Day”. By this time John Kay embarked on a solo career and released two studio albums from the Dunhill label between ’72 and ’73; Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes, and My Sportin’ Life.

Gary Moore- Blues And Beyond (4 CD Limited Edition, 2017) [FLAC]

 

BMG proudly release Gary Moore’s Blues and Beyond, a remarkable collection of his powerful and emotive blues studio recordings. Blues and Beyond is released on double CD, 4 LP and as a box set, which includes unreleased live recordings and the official Gary Moore biography I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow written by Harry Shapiro.·

 

Mothers of Invention - Absolutely Free (1967) [24/192]

Absolutely Free is the second studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on May 26, 1967, by Verve Records. Much like their 1966 debut Freak Out!, the album is a display of complex musical composition with political and social satire. The band had been augmented since Freak Out! by the addition of woodwinds player Bunk Gardner, keyboardist Don Preston, rhythm guitarist Jim Fielder, and drummer Billy Mundi; Fielder quit the group before the album was released, and his name was removed from the album credits. 

• Frank Zappa – guitar, conductor, vocals
• Jimmy Carl Black – drums, vocals
• Ray Collins – vocals, tambourine, harmonica
• Roy Estrada – bass, vocals
• Billy Mundi – drums, percussion
• Don Preston – keyboards
• Jim Fielder (Uncredited) – guitar, piano
• Bunk Gardner – woodwinds

 

Steely Dan - Everything Must Go (2003/2022) [SACD Hi-Res FLAC]

 

Everything Must Go is the ninth studio album by American rock group Steely Dan. It was released on June 10, 2003, by Reprise Records, and was the band's second album following their 20-year studio hiatus spanning 1980 through 2000, when they released Two Against Nature. Everything Must Go is the band's most recent studio album and their last with founding member Walter Becker before his death in 2017.