The Rolling Stones - The Missing Jewels [4 CD, 1975/FLAC]

Rattlesnake RS 025/26/27/28
4 CD-Set with soundboard and audience recordings

 

Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell (Deluxe Edition, Remastered) [1980/2022/FLAC]

BLACK SABBATH's Ozzy Osbourne-era undoubtedly changed rock music and expedited the rise of heavy metal with the landmark work they released in the early '70s. That lineup however had been running on empty with their last two albums. 1976's "Technical Ecstasy" and 1978's "Never Say Die" were solid rock albums with a few catchy songs here and there but were not befitting of what they had built with their previous records. Ozzy Osbourne's 1979 firing put an exclamation point on that decline. Ronnie James Dio's vocal energy and lyrical craftsmanship was the exact injection of life that was needed to guide BLACK SABBATH into the 1980's, and Rhino's new Deluxe Edition of "Heaven And Hell" celebrates over forty years of the record's legacy with its new remaster, released with a generous helping of bonus live tracks spotlighting the greatness of that short-but-legendary chapter of the BLACK SABBATH story.

Miles Davis – Transmission Impossible (3 CD, 2016/FLAC + 320)

 3 CD Set Featuring Classic Live Recordings From Miles Davis. Featuring material from live broadcasts from Rotterdam 1967, Boston 1972, Tokyo 1975, and Fukuoka 1981.

With enthusiasm for the music of Miles Davis stretching way further than that for any other Jazz musician who ever produced a note, and the new bio-pic movie about Miles' life creating even more interest, the time could not be better for the release of this 3 CD Collection of rare live material from the maestro. Featuring recordings from; Rotterdam 1967, Boston 1972, Tokyo 1975, Fukuoka (Japan) in 1981, and even a bonus cut from Tokyo in 1985, this mixed bag of eras and styles illustrates well the pre and post mid 1970s hiatus Miles Davis, a period highlighted in the aforementioned new film. Complete with details of all featured line-ups and illustrated with rare photographs this triple disc fold out digi-pack set will prove an essential addition to any Miles Davis collection. 

Ekseption - The First Five + Bonus CD (6 CD, 2019/FLAC)

In 1958 a school band The Jokers was formed in Haarlem. Members were Hans Alta (bass), Rein van den Broek (trumpet), Tim Griek (drums, he was the producer for the first Brainbox (3) album, he died in a car crash in 1988) and Huib van Kampen (guitar/saxophone). They played covers of well known songs. In 1965 the name was changed to Incrowd. In 1967 the name had already changed to Ekseption because there was another Dutch band with the name Incrowd.

The band was also joined by Rob Kruisman, who became the new bandleader. Later that year also Rick Van Der Linden (keyboards) joined the group. He was a classically trained musician who finished Conservatory and had played with several jazz- and popgroups, one of them was the Occasional Swing Combo. They met each other, because both bands played at the same gig. Van den Broek was impressed by the playing of Van der Linden and asked him to join Ekseption. In 1968 the band entered the Loosdrechtse Jazz Concours and won the first prize, a record deal with Phonogram.

At the end of the year the band was about to record their debut album with producer Tony Vos. By this time Alta and Griek were replaced by bass guitarist Cor Dekker (he died in 2005) and drummer Peter de Leeuwe. As the first single "Beethoven's The Fifth" was chosen and it became an instant hit for the band. The follow up singles "Rhapsody in Blue" and "Air" became big hits as well. Because of this chart success Van der Linden became the new bandleader. In 1969 Kruisman left the band because he was not happy with the new musical approach. Shortly after that also co-founder Van Kampen left the band (he dies in 2003). He left the music business, and became a music teacher. 

 

 

Pink Floyd - Meddle (High Resolution Remasters) (4 CD, 2018/FLAC)

Meddle is the sixth studio album by English rock band Pink Floyd, by Harvest Records. The album was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971 at a series of locations around London, including Abbey Road Studios and Morgan Studios.

With no material to work with and no clear idea of the album's direction, the band devised a series of novel experiments which eventually inspired the album's signature track "Echoes". Although the band's later albums would be unified by a central theme with lyrics written entirely by Roger Waters, Meddle was a group effort with lyrical contributions from each member, and is considered a transitional album between the Syd Barrett-influenced group of the late 1960s and the emerging Pink Floyd. The cover has been explained by its creator Storm Thorgerson to be an ear underwater; as with several previous albums designed by Hipgnosis, though, Thorgerson was unhappy with the final result.

The album was well received by critics upon its release, and was commercially successful in the United Kingdom, but lacklustre publicity on the part of the band's American label Capitol Records led to poor sales there upon initial release.