23.2.07

The Who - My Generation (Deluxe Edition) (2-CD) (1964-65) (@256)

Review from amazon.com

It's kind of odd that the Who's first album would be the last to be reissued in deluxe fashion, but, given the prominent role the late John Entwistle plays on it (his instrumental 'The Ox' was and is a sonic marvel), it's kind of fitting, too. But the real reason it took so long for the Who camp to release this is that they added so much to it! Disc one presents the original album mixed in stereo for the first time by original producer Shel Talmy, plus single sides like 'Bald Headed Woman' and Daddy Rolling Stone.' Disc Two is a collector's dream, with more loads of first-time stereo-in fact, 28 out of the 30 tracks here are in stereo! Previously unreleased, full-length versions of 'The Good's Gone' and 'I Don't Mind,' an unreleased instrumental version of 'My Generation' and an unspeakably rare, French EP-only alternate version of 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere' the highlights. Three sets of liner notes analyze.

Size: 166 mB
Bitrate: 256 kB

Disc 1:

1. Out In The Street
2. I Don't Mind
3. The Good's Gone
4. La-La-La Lies
5. Much Too Much
6. My Generation
7. The Kids Are Alright
8. Please, Please, Please
9. It's Not True
10. I'm A Man
11. A Legal Matter
12. The Ox
13. Circles
14. I Can't Explain
15. Bald Headed Woman
16. Daddy Rolling Stone

Disc 2:

1. Leaving Here (Alternate)
2. Lubie (Come Back Home)
3. Shout And Shimm
4. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave
5. Motoring
6. Anyitme You Want Me
7. Anyhow, Anywhere, Anyway (Alternate)
8. Instant Party Mixture
9. I Don't Mind (Full Length Version)
10. The Good's Gone (Full Length Version)
11. My Generation (Instrumental Version)
12. Anytime You Want Me (A Cappella Version)
13. A Legal Matter
14. My Generation

The Who - My Generation (Deluxe Edition) (2-CD) (1964-65) (@256) DISC ONE

The Who - My Generation (Deluxe Edition) (2-CD) (1964-65) (@256) DISC TWO (FILE REPLACED!)

22.2.07

Laurel Aitken - Godfather Of Ska

Godfather Of Ska Volume 3 - 1963-1966

LAUREL AITKEN (1927 - 2005)
The Godfather of Ska.
Laurel Aitken, who has died in Leicester aged 78, was a key figure in the development of Jamaican music from the form of calypso known as mento through to reggae. He was a particular favourite of British skinheads who embraced ska, a variant of boogie and American R'n'B with a strongly accented upbeat, which also shaped the mod, rude boy and two-tone movements; bands such as the Specials, Bad Manners and Madness drew much of their inspiration from the style.
Ska had developed from the sound systems which dominated Jamaican popular music from the mid-1950s, replacing dance bands. They were often set up outside bars and liquor stores, and increasingly competed in volume and strength - 30,000 watt bass speakers were not unknown. The brand of New Orleans boogie and R'n'B they played was soon emulated by live bands, but with the guitar part often stressed on the upbeat in imitation of the banjo line in mento. Over this background, the lyrics initially concentrated on producing a feelgood, party atmosphere, but gradually gave way, with the rise of reggae and the Ras Tafari movement, to nationalist and religious themes.
Lorenzo Aitken was born of mixed Cuban and Jamaican ancestry on April 22nd 1927 in Havana, Cuba, one of six children (his brother was the singer and guitarist Bobby Aitken). The family emigrated to Jamaica, his father's homeland, in 1938 and young Laurel was singing calypso for tourists by the mid-1940s, often for the Jamaican Tourist Board.
At 15, he entered a talent contest at Kingston's Ambassador Theatre and began his career singing at clubs around the capital. His first records, "Roll, Jordan, Roll" and "Boogie Rock", appeared on the Caribbean Recording Company owned by Stanley Motta, a garage owner and electrical supplier, and were later reissued by the Kalypso label; they showed the influence of shuffle and boogie on traditional mento.
In 1958 he scored his first great hit with "Boogie In My Bones" and "Little Sheila", a double A-side produced by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records (it was later to be the label's first release in Britain). Aitken and Blackwell were the only Jamaican elements of the record, though; the backing was provided by a group of white Canadian session musicians. Even so, it was #1 in the Jamaican hit parade for 11 weeks and stayed in the charts for more than a year. He followed them up with a number of other hits, and appeared regularly at the Glass Bucket Club and before sound systems, but in 1960 decided to join the growing exodus of Jamaicans for Britain. There he flew the Blue Beat flag with a number of recordings for that record label, which dealt exclusively in Jamaican music for a British audience.
Aitken was industrious during the 1960s, releasing more than two dozen records on the Rio label alone, as well as working for Ska Beat and Dice, and writing for artists on the Nu Beat Label (which paid his child support money after Rio went bust). He moved, too, from his own party numbers to more reggae-tinged songs, such as "Haile Selassie", "Woppi King" and "Fire In Me Wire". His lament for the increasing cost of prostitutes, "Pussy Price", was later rewritten by the Beat as "Ranking Full Stop". He attracted an increasing audience amongst young white skinheads: "Skinhead Train" was specifically aimed at this fanbase.
But with the rise of rocksteady and then of pure reggae in the 1970s, and particularly with Bob Marley's domination of Jamaican music, Aitken's style began to look increasingly old-fashioned. He faded from view, stopped recording and moved to Leicester. But he never entirely abandoned performance, and could still draw audiences of enthusiasts. When the two-tone revival of the late 1970s began, Aitken, along with Prince Buster, was revered as a pioneer, and he recorded "Rudi Got Married", which became, in 1981, his only British chart hit. He began touring again during the 1980s and appeared with David Bowie in the film Absolute Beginners in 1986.
UB40 covered his "Guilty", which he had released under the pseudonym Tiger in 1969, on their album "Labour Of Love". "Live At Club Ska" was released last year, but Aitken can be heard to best advantage on the Reggae Retro release "The Pioneer Of Jamaican Music", which includes such rarities as "Nebuchanezzar", "Aitken's Boogie" and "Baba Kill Me Goat".
In 2003 he was hospitalised with double pneumonia, but recovered better than expected and returned to performing. His last concert was in January 2005. Aitken, the Godfather of Ska, was felled by a heart attack six months later.
(From the Telegraph)

Track Listing
1.Shake
2.Jamboree
3.Let My People Go
4.Rock Of Ages
5.Jericho
6.Take Off My Pyjamas
7.Clementine
8.Coconut Woman
9.Woman Is Sweeter
10.Bag-A-Boo
11.Ring Don't Mean A Thing
12.Revival
13.This Great Day
14.Propaganda
15.What A Weeping
16.Madame Sorosie
17.I Don't Want No More
18.Call The Doctor
19.Jenny Jenny
20.Street Of Glory
21.Life


download Laurel Aitken - Godfather Of Ska

21.2.07

Luizinho e seus Dinamites - Choque que Queima (1967)

60's Brazilian TWIST!

01. Dinamite
02. Choque Que Queima
03. Eu Vou à Lua
04. As Estações
05. Lâmpada do Amor
06. Carango Twist
07. Uma Voz na Solidão
08. A Raposa e o Corvo
09. Bongo Blues
10. Guitar Twist
12. Apache
13. Driving Guitars
14. Pé de Mancá; Cintura Fina; Meu limão, meu limoeiro

Luizinho e seus Dinamites - Choque que Queima (1967)

19.2.07

Los Bravos - Dame Un Poco de Amor


Los Bravos - Dame Un Poco de Amor
Did you guys miss me? Well, I'm back!

Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide


In 1966, this Spanish quintet became one of the very few rock groups from a non-English speaking country to have an international smash with "Black Is Black," which got to number four in the U.S. and number two in the U.K. Lead singer Mike Kogel's overwrought, pinched vocals sounded so much like Gene Pitney that many listeners assumed that "Black Is Black" was a Pitney single, and the strong resemblance remained intact throughout Los Bravos' career, both in the singing and arrangements. Indeed, with their brassy pop/rock songs and production, which sounded about halfway between New York mid-'60s pop-soul and Jay & the Americans, Los Bravos sounded far more like a mainstream American pop/rock group than a Spanish or British one. Most of their records were sung in English, and although they never made the American Top 20 again, they were far more popular in Europe, even placing another single in the British Top 20 in late 1966 with "I Don't Care."


Tracklist:

01. Play With Fire And You'll Ge...
02. You Got Until The Morning
03. I'll See You Through
04. Donde Estes
05. Deeper Roots
06. Bring A Little Lovin'
07. Make It Last
08. Yakipo
09. She's My Girl
10. Dime Donde Estoy
11. If I Were A River
12. I Don't Care
13. This Way That Way (Donde Est...
14. Like Nobody Else
15. Como Nadie Mas
16. I'Ve Hearing Things


Los Bravos - Dame Un Poco de Amor

13.2.07

9.2.07

Pretty Things - Get the Picture? [ENHANCED] [LIMITED EDITION] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (1965)

Hi Kelly. =)

UK reissue of the underappreciated British Invasion act's 1965 release.

BIOGRAPHY :
Of all the original British Invasion groups, perhaps none are as underappreciated in the United States as the Pretty Things. Featuring the hoarse vocals of Mick Jagger-lookalike Phil May and the stinging leads of guitarist Dick Taylor (who actually played in early versions of the Rolling Stones with Jagger and Keith Richards), the Pretties recorded a clutch of raunchy R&B rockers in the mid-'60s that offer a punkier, rawer version of the early Stones sound. Their first two albums, as well as a brace of fine major and minor British hits (of which "Don't Bring Me Down" and "Honey I Need" were the biggest), feature first-rate original material and covers, and remain the group's most exciting and influential recordings. Unfortunately, the band remained virtually unknown to American audiences, most of whom would first hear "Don't Bring Me Down" on David Bowie's Pin Ups album (which also included a version of the Pretties' "Rosalyn").
After their initial run of success, the group took a sharp left turn into psychedelia with the orchestrated album Emotions (1967), impressive singles that owed more to Pink Floyd than Bo Diddley, and, most significantly, S.F. Sorrow (1968). The first rock opera, S.F. Sorrow was a major influence on Pete Townshend, who released his much more successful opera, Tommy, with the Who the following year. Founding member Taylor left shortly after S.F. Sorrow, and the group continued to record progressive rock and hard rock with less impressive results through the mid-'70s, although Parachute (1970) was named album of the year by Rolling Stone. The group reunited sporadically for occasional gigs and recordings in their early R&B vein before officially reforming to release Rage...Before Beauty in 1999. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

ALBUM REVIEW :
The band's second album (released Dec. 1965) has not only been remastered from original session tapes, so the group sound like their amps are practically right in your lap, but it's also been expanded to 18 songs with the addition of tracks cut for singles and EP releases from the same sessions. That's enough to recommend it even to casual fans -- this is now a record that's just a few notches short of Rolling Stones level in the charisma department and pretty tough any way you want to look at it. On "Rainin' in My Heart," they sound exactly like the Stones from the same era, missing only the little harmonica flourish that might have been added on the break. The notes go into the history of the group during this period in delightful detail, and the histories of various songs, most particularly "L.S.D.," which, amazingly, was cut as a demo and never re-done for release, just put out that way. In their good moments here, the Pretty Things approach Rolling Stones territory, and even in their off moments they're flying at the same level as the Kinks' album tracks. The real enhancement, alas, only concerns those fans with CD-ROM drives (PC Windows 3.1 or later, minimum 486 66Mhz or Mac 68040 or better, running system 7.1 or later) -- they get to see the Pretty Things playing the 100 Club in London from 1965, looking wilder and scruffier than the Stones or almost any other benchmark band.
~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Size: 82,4 mB
Bitrate: 256 kB

01. You Don't Believe Me
02. Buzz the Jerk
03. Get the Picture?
04. Can't Stand the Pain
05. Rainin' in My Heart
06. We'll Play House
07. You'll Never Do It Baby
08. I Had a Dream
09. I Want Your Love
10. London Town
11. Cry to Me
12. Gonna Find a Substitute
13. Get a Buzz
14. Sittin' All Alone
15. Midnight to Six Man
16. Me Needing You
17. Come See Me
18. £.S.D.

Pretty Things - Get the Picture? [ENHANCED] [LIMITED EDITION] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (1965)

8.2.07

The Kinks - Kinks (1964)

Reviewed by Hobart Arms, (Louisville, KY), from amazon.com

The Kinks' explosive debut album is a great album but don't expect the legendary Davies tunesmithing. Instead, this album is far closer to something like the Rolling Stones' England's Newest Hitmakers album: a rollicking collection of R&B covers that comprised much of the Kinks' early stage/club sets. This was the M.O. for most of these groups like the Kinks, the Stones, the Animals, etc. where they would go into the studio with maybe a few originals proffered to the producer but ultimately they would choose the most explosive R&B covers of Chuck Berry and the Chess crew and other popular hits that had wound their way into stage routines; maybe a single would catch on as a minor hit. These albums and the groups were meant to be throwaways: make an exciting record that would sell until the next product went on the shelves. Kinks is no exception. It features the usual slew of Chuck Berry/Chicago R&B covers but what Shel Talmy hadn't counted on was Ray Davies. Davies brought "You Really Got Me" with him and this was to become the first of many trademark hits for the Kinks. Mind you the covers and the hit single were not all that was offered on this album. There was also the obligatory slow "dance" number "Stop Your Sobbin'". Overall, I would recommend this album based on its importance in the canon of one of the greatest rock bands from one of the greatest decades in popular music. Further more, this album showcases the creative powerhouse of the Brothers Davies with their cohorts Avery and Quaiff in their embryonic form, a year before they would begin to take the world on lyrical trips as perhaps the most British of the British invasion bands. My advice would be to snag this album and put it on a cd changer with England's Newest Hitmakers, an early Manfred Mann album, an early Animals album, and The Yardbird's For Your Love. This will take you back to the days in 1964 London when you had to go to the clubs to see the grit and soul of the British Invasion...the R&B bands that lacked much of the contrived polish of the pop bands.

Size: 30,2 mB
Bitrate: 128 kB

1. Beautiful Delilah
2. So Mystifying
3. Just Can't Go to Sleep
4. Long Tall Shorty
5. I Took My Baby Home
6. I'm a Lover Not a Fighter
7. You Really Got Me
8. Cadillac
9. Bald Headed Woman
10. Revenge
11. Too Much Monkey Business
12. I've Been Driving on Bald Mountain
13. Stop Your Sobbin'
14. Got Love If You Want It


The Kinks - Kinks (1964)

6.2.07

Beau Brummels - Introducing the Beau Brummels (1965)

from Lawrance M. Bernabo at Amazon.com

The Beau Brummels were probably the first folk-rock group, given that this stellar debut album came out in 1965 before the Byrds (the obvious candidate) ever hit the charts. Because of their name a lot of Americans thought the Beau Bummels were an English import, which was an easy mistake given that they were one of the few American groups to make any headway against the British Invasion. The band was centered around guitarist/songwriter Ron Elliott, who wrote 10 of the original 12 tracks on this first album, and singer Sal Valentino, who might have the best forgotten voice of the Sixties. The producer on "Introducing the Beau Brummels" was Sly Stewart, better known to the world as Sly Stone, which another reason this is one of the better debut albums of the early Sixties. The best songs are "Laugh Laugh" (Top 20), "Still in Love With You Baby," and "Just a Little" (Top 10), with their great harmonies and catchy melodies. The attempts at more straightforward rock 'n' roll are not as strong, but the moody "They'll Make You Cry" is good as are the imitation Beatles songs "I Would Be Happy" and "Stick Like Glue." This CD reissue adds a pair of bonus tracks: a demo of "Just a Little" and the single "Good Time Music." I know it is a minority position, but I like the sound of the Beau Brummels better than the Byrds. For that matter, I like their songs better too. Unfortunately, this first effort was followed by lesser albums. Still, if you picked up this one instead of one of their greatest hits collections you are not necessarily getting the worst of the deal.

Size: 90 mB
Bitrate: 190 kB I guess

Tracks:

01. Laugh, Laugh
02. Still In Love With You Baby
03. Just A Little
04. Just Wait And See
05. Oh Lonesome Me
06. Ain't That Loving You Baby
07. Stick Like Glue
08. They'll Make You Cry
09. That's If You Want Me To
10. I Want More Loving
11. I Would Be Happy
12. Not Too Long Ago
13. Just A Little (Unissued Demo Version)
14. Good Time Music (Autumn Single)

Beau Brummels - Introducing the Beau Brummels (1965)

2.2.07

Los Mockers - Complete Recordings 1965 - 1967

Los Mockers were a popular 1960s rock band in Latin America that was part of the Uruguayan Invasion. They modeled themselves off of the Rolling Stones and covered many of their songs (in English). The band was formed in 1963 on Montevideo, Uruguay but moved to Argentina in 1966 after winning a contract with EMI Argentina. The original lineup disbanded in 1967.

Do you more informatiom?

http://60spunk.m78.com/mockers.html

Size: 47,5 mB
Bitrate: 160 kB

01. Los Mockers - 01 - Girl, You Won't Succeed
02. Los Mockers - 02 - I Wanna Go
03. Los Mockers - 03 - My Baby
04. Los Mockers - 04 - What A Lifee
05. Los Mockers - 05 - Let Me Try Again
06. Los Mockers - 06 - Don't Go Away
07. Los Mockers - 07 - Show Me The Way
08. Los Mockers - 08 - Tell Me Something New
09. Los Mockers - 09 - Empty Harem
10. Los Mockers - 10 - Make Up Your Mind
11. Los Mockers - 11 - You Got It
12. Los Mockers - 12 - Can't Be A Lie
13. Los Mockers - 13 - All The Time
14. Los Mockers - 14 - Sad
15. Los Mockers - 15 - Every Night
16. Los Mockers - 16 - It Was Me
17. Los Mockers - 17 - Paint It Black
18. Los Mockers - 18 - Christmas Flash (Jingle Bells)

Los Mockers - Complete Recordings 1965 - 1967