Pat Travers - Rock Solid - The Essential Collection (2 CD, 2004/FLAC)

 

While most bluesy hard rock acts of the '70s and '80s hailed from the United States, there were several exceptions to the rule. Canadian singer/guitarist/keyboardist Pat Travers with his hard, edgy tone, rough and rowdy vocals, and barroom boogie aesthetic is a stellar example. Arriving during the reign of hard blues-rock guitar slingers such as Johnny Winter, George Thorogood, and Robin Trower, his eight-album run for Polydor from the self-titled 1976 debut through 1984's Hot Shot, netted seven Top 200 chart placements (all but one in the upper half) and two Top 40 singles, including the party anthem classic "Boom Boom (Out Go the Lights)." Subsequently, he placed four singles in the Hot 100, and two more -- including 1981's "New Age Music" and 1984's "Killer" in the upper rungs of the Mainstream Rock Songs charts. As evidenced by his catalog, Travers is equally adept at playing funk and prog. One of rock & roll's bona fide road dogs, he has toured over 150 dates a year for more than 40 years. In the 21st century, Travers has continued to record for a variety of labels in North America and Europe. Better known dates include 2003's P.T. Power Trio, 2005's Bazooka with drummer Carmen Appice, and 2015's Retro Rocket. 

VA - Good Morning Vietnam [3 CD, 2005]

This 3CD release with original artists and recordings is one of the Disky label's best-selling box sets.

VA - The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 7 (1967) [5 CD, 2007/FLAC]

 Motown had an extraordinary house band (known as the Funk Brothers) made up of some of the best nightclub and bar musicians in Black Detroit, including Earl Van Dyke on keyboards, Benny Benjamin and Uriel Jones on drums, and James Jamerson on bass. They played a huge role in the development of the Motown sound, a branch of soul music that featured more sophisticated arrangements and orchestration than the grittier Southern soul that contemporaneously flourished at as the Memphis Sound.

VA - Zydeco - Essential Collection [2003/FLAC]

Zydeco is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Although it is distinct in origin from the Cajun music of Louisiana, the two forms influenced each other, forming a complex of genres native to Louisiana.

Like Cajun music, the dominant instrument is the accordion, but unlike Cajun music, zydeco adds electric bass, horns, and sometimes keyboards. In a nutshell, zydeco is Creole (black) dance music of southwest Louisiana, blending Cajun music with rhythm & blues and soul. The word "zydeco" is actually a bastardization of an early zydeco song, "L'Haricots Sont Pas Sals" (The Snap Beans Aren't Salted). The first black-French recordings were made in 1928 by Amad Ardoin, an accordion player who played in the Cajun style. However, zydeco didn't begin to evolve -- at least on record -- until the mid-'50s, when Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis made their initial recordings. Like Cajun music, zydeco didn't achieve national popularity until the 1980s, buoyed somewhat by Rockin' Sidney's surprise hit "My Toot Toot." By the '90s, several zydeco artists were signed to major labels, including Terrance Simien, Boozoo Chavis, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Rockin' Dopsie.     

  

01 - Let's Go - Nathan And The Zydeco Cha Chas [00:05:25]

02 - Thre's No Use Crying - Geno Delafose And French Rockin' Boogie [00:03:26]

03 - Zydeco Boogaloo - Buckwheat Zydeco [00:03:53]

04 - Lula Lula Don't You Go To Bingo - Boozoo Chavis And The Magic Sounds [00:03:41]

05 - I Woke Up Thuis Morning - Steve Riley And The Mamou Playboys [00:03:18]

06 - I'm On The Wonder - Beau Jocque And The Zydeco Hi-Rollers [00:06:19]

07 - We Are The Boys - Chris Ardoin And Double Clutchin' [00:04:43]

08 - I'm A Hog For You - Lynn August And The Hot August Nights [00:04:47]

09 - Madame Etienne - Bruce Daigrepont [00:04:09]

10 - Bad Time Woman - Li'l Brian And The Zydeco Travelers [00:04:28]

11 - What's In That Bayou - Chris Ardoin And Double Clutchin' [00:05:11]

12 - Keep Your Dress Tail Down - Boozoo Chavis And The Magic Sounds [00:04:39]

13 - Give Him Cornbread - Beau Jocque And The Zydeco Hi-Rollers [00:04:55]

14 - Friday Night Waltz - John Delafose And The Eunice Playboys [00:03:13]

15 - Outside People - Nathan And The Zydeco Cha Chas [00:03:44]

16 - 'tite Monde (My Everything) - Geno Delafose And French Rockin' Boogie [00:04:43]

17 - Hot Tamale Baby - Buckwheat Zydeco [00:04:41]

Derek and the Dominoes - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs [40th Anniversary Super Deluxe edition] (4 CD, 2011/FLAC)

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is a blues-rock album by Derek and the Dominos, released in November 1970, best known for its eponymous title track, "Layla". The album is often regarded as Eric Clapton's greatest musical achievement, in ensemble with a talented supporting cast of Bobby Whitlock on keyboards and vocals, Jim Gordon on drums, Carl Radle on bass, and special guest performer Duane Allman on lead and slide guitar.

Japanese edition exclusively features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players). Deluxe edition of "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs" is released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Derek & The Dominos since their original album was released, consisting of 4 SHM-CDs, 2 LPs, and a DVD. CD1: "Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs" featuring the latest remastering. CD2: Contains 13 rare tracks including four unreleased tracks and six remixes. CD3: "In Concert (disc 1)" featuring the latest rematering. CD4: "In Concert (disc 2)" featuring the latest rematering.