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.

Roy Harper discography [1966-2013] (FLAC)

 

Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941) is an English folk rock singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has released 32 albums (including 10 live albums) across his 50-year career. As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, reflecting his love of jazz and the poet John Keats.

Fred Neil - The Many Sides of Fred Neil (2 CD, 1998/FLAC)

For many, the name Fred Neil will be familiar only as that belonging to the songwriter of the modern classic “Everybody's Talkin’,” or perhaps “Candy Man,” “The Dolphins,” or “Other Side of This Life,” songs that Roy Orbison, Tim Buckley, and the Jefferson Airplane, respectively, recorded. However, Neil’s influence extends much farther. John Sebastian, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Bob Dylan all claimed him as an influence, since he blended traditional and contemporary folk, blues, rock, gospel, Indian, and pop influences into a distinctive, idiosyncratic style. 

His music was not only influential, it was quite rich on its own terms and some of the best music of its era. Unfortunately, since Neil chose a life of seclusion in 1971, disappearing from both recording and performing, his work was neglected. Remedying the situation, The Many Sides bypasses his Elektra material, instead offering a complete summary of his Capitol recordings, including his three albums for the label (Fred Neil, Sessions, Other Side of This Life), both sides of a non-LP single with the Nashville Street Singers, and six unreleased cuts. It’s a long overdue compilation and one that certainly stands as a definitive portrait of an influential and criminally underappreciated folk-rock figure. After listening to The Many Sides of Fred Neil, it makes sense that Neil turned into a recluse—this is moody, haunting music, unlike much of the work of his contemporaries. In particular, his eponymous album boasts challenging, innovative arrangements that remain fresh and startling to this day. The rest of his work may be a little uneven in comparison, but it’s frequently compelling and often matches its heights. Most importantly, The Many Sides of Fred Neil grants Neil his proper place in folk-rock history, confirming his unique vision and talent. 

KISS - Cobo Hall, Detroit, MI 1977 (DVDRIP video)

 

KISS

Cobo Hall Detroit ,MI.

1-29-77 Rock And Roll Over Tour

01. Detroit Rock City (intro cut)
02. Take Me
03. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll
04. Ladies Room
05. Firehouse
06. Makin' Love
07. I Want You
08. Cold Gin
09. Do You Love Me?
10. Nothin' To Loose
11. God Of Thunder
12. Rock And Roll All Nite 

 

Eric Clapton - Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies [4 CD, 1996] (FLAC)

 Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies is a live album by Eric Clapton, released in 1996. Unlike the first Crossroads box set that encompasses more than three decades of Clapton's work, Crossroads 2 is a chronicle of Clapton's live shows between 1974 through 1978. Much of the focus is on longer renditions of electric blues.