The Charlie Byrd Trio – The Bossa Nova Years (1991) [Reissue 2003]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 54:19 minutes | Scans included | 3,22 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Scans included | 1,16 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound
Guitarist Charlie Byrd revisits a variety of bossa nova songs, including nine by Antonio Carlos Jobim on this pleasing and accessible set. What makes this release stand out from his many similar dates is that Ken Peplowski’s clarinet and tenor are well featured, adding variety to the music and a lead voice for Byrd to play off of. Otherwise the music is predictably excellent, with such classics as “One Note Samba”, “Corcovado”, “Dindi”, “O Pato”, and “The Girl from Ipanema” receiving very favorable treatment.
Read more
The Cars – The Cars (1978) [MFSL 2016]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 35:19 minutes | Scans included | 1,44 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 715 MB
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab # 2162
The Cars’ 1978 self-titled debut, issued on the Elektra label, is a genuine rock masterpiece. The band jokingly referred to the album as their “true greatest-hits album”, but it’s no exaggeration – all nine tracks are new wave/rock classics, still in rotation on rock radio. Whereas most bands of the late ’70s embraced either punk/new wave or hard rock, the Cars were one of the first bands to do the unthinkable – merge the two styles together. Add to it bandleader/songwriter Ric Ocasek’s supreme pop sensibilities, and you had an album that appealed to new wavers, rockers, and Top 40 fans. One of the most popular new wave songs ever, “Just What I Needed”, is an obvious highlight, as are such familiar hits as “Good Times Roll”, “My Best Friend’s Girl”, and “You’re All I’ve Got Tonight”. But like most consummate rock albums, the lesser-known compositions are just as exhilarating: “Don’t Cha Stop”, “Bye Bye Love”, “All Mixed Up”, and “Moving in Stereo”, the latter featured as an instrumental during a steamy scene in the popular movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. With flawless performances, songwriting, and production (courtesy of Queen alumni Roy Thomas Baker), the Cars’ debut remains one of rock’s all-time classics.
Read more
The Cars – Heartbeat City (1984) [MFSL 2016]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 38:57 minutes | Scans included | 1,58 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 788 MB
Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab # 2163
MTV had become a major marketing tool by 1984, and the Cars were one of the first bands to use the new video medium to their advantage. The band’s fifth album, Heartbeat City (Elektra), spawned several imaginative and memorable videos, which translated into massive chart and commercial success, making it one of the biggest releases of the year. Produced by hitmaker John “Mutt” Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard), the album included two Top Ten singles — the ballad “Drive” and the charismatic “You Might Think” — plus an additional two that landed in the Top 20: the summer anthem “Magic” and the eccentric “Hello Again”. But it didn’t just stop there, plenty of other tracks could have been hits as well, such as the sparse rocker “It’s Not the Night” and the breezy pop of “Looking for Love”. Other highlights included the ethereal title track, the melodic rocker “Stranger Eyes”, and the moderately paced love song “Why Can’t I Have You”. Although the Cars experienced their greatest success yet with Heartbeat City, it would unfortunately not last for long — after just one more studio album (1987’s spotty Door to Door), the band split up.
Read more
The Carpenters – Carpenters Singles 1969-1981 (2004)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 77:32 minutes | Scans included | 4,3 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 76:50 mins | Scans | 1,46 GB
There’s a certain inherent sadness listening to this concise 12-song collection of the Carpenters’ early hits, especially as it opens with “We’ve Only Just Begun,” with its hopeful, dreamy lyrics — for it was never supposed to be definitive, just the first of at least two such collections. But changes in the public’s taste and a slackening (though never a disappearance) of hits for the duo, and Karen Carpenter’s death in 1983, made this the first and only real mass choice for a Carpenters collection. Ten of the duo’s dozen Top Ten hits are present, from “Close to You” to “Top of the World,” with their gorgeous and original slow ballad interpretation of “Ticket to Ride” and their cover of Carole King’s “It’s Going to Take Some Time” thrown in to offer a slightly wider perspective. Listening to this material, it’s easy to accuse the Carpenters of being hopelessly retro even in their own time — bear in mind that “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “Superstar” being contemporaneous with the Allman Brothers’ At Fillmore East and Eat a Peach and you get the idea. But the lush melodies brought out in Richard Carpenter’s arrangements and Karen’s singing are justification in themselves.
Read more
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet – In San Francisco (1959) [Reissue 2004]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 60:22 minutes | Front/Rear Covers+ | 2,53 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 2,39 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,38 GB
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco is a 1959 album by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet. The groundbreaking album launched “soul jazz”, according to NPR, bridging “the gap between bebop and funk”. The album was recorded at The Jazz Workshop in San Francisco before an appreciative standing-room only crowd. The album broke new ground as a live recording taped in noisy club environments, creating a formula that not only the Cannonball Quintet but other jazz ensembles would follow.
Read more
The Cal Tjader Quintet – Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader (1968) [Audio Fidelity 2003]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 44:54 minutes | Scans included | 1,8 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 874 MB
Remastered by Steve Hoffman | Audio Fidelity # AFZ-004
TVibraphonist Cal Tjader is in typically fine form on this live set from 1968. His quintet at the time featured Armand Perazza on congas and pianist Joe Kloess and his repertoire ranged from Afro-Cuban jazz to occasional straightahead tunes. Six of the eight selections on this date are originals by band members or Gary McFarland. Although Tjader had been playing this style of music for 15 years by this time, he still was quite creative and enthusiastic, and is heard throughout in excellent form.
Read more
The Coryells – The Coryells (2000) [Reissue 2002]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 61:57 minutes | Scans included | 3,40 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,25 GB
Like father, like sons, acoustic guitarist Larry Coryell and sons Julian and Murali get together for their first recorded project, and it sounds fine. Larry tends to dominate improv space, but doesn’t get in the way of his kids, who are adept in their own bluesy ways. Bassist Brain Torff and percussionist Alphonse Mouzon (no drum kit, only hand drums and tambourine) join on several selections. Murali sings in his down-home, slightly affectated manner for three cuts, quite soulfully on the Rahsaan Roland Kirk lyric re: Lester Young on “Goodbye Porkpie Hat,” on the original pop blues “Somebody’s Got to Win-Lose,” and on Al Green’s simple, funk-blues “Love & Happiness.” Julian has two features by himself, with Torff only on the easy two-beat “Something Pretty” and the nice waltz “Song for Emily.” The hippest workout between the three occurs during the bulk of Julian’s “Sink or Swim,” while up and down, cascading and tumbling, waterfall crystalline-clear guitars shine on Larry’s “Transparance.” Two tracks are unearthed from Larry’s days with the Eleventh House: the stunning “Low-Lee-Tah” is dark, moody, and ominous, with Larry playing the intricate melody first all the way through and his sons joining in with heavy embellishments and startling improvisation; “Funky Waltz” is not so much funky as the loud original, but shaded with Native American punctuations from Mouzon. Though some speedy lines crop up here and there, this is a more musical than pyrotechnical display that proves quite enjoyable throughout. A very good first step for the Coryell family’s musical bonding recorded for public display, this is definitely recommended.
Read more
The King’s Consort, Choir of the King’s Choir, Robert King – The Coronation Of King George II (1727) (2001)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 100:31 mins | Scans included | 5,94 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,87 GB
Handel’s Coronation Anthems & Ceremonial Music by Purcell, Blow, Tallis, Gibbons & others
Label: Hyperion | Catalog No.: SACDA67286
“Why present just Handel’s Coronation Anthems for King George II when you can present the whole Coronation?” seems to be the proposition that underlies this two-disc set, entitled The Coronation of King George II, 1727. And, thrillingly performed by Robert King directing the King’s Consort and the Choir of the King’s Consort, there seems no good reason not to, and every good reason to, do just that. King, who has led many stirring recordings of Handel’s oratorios in his time, turns in splendid performances of the four Coronation Anthems, along with superb performances of ceremonial choral music by Tallis, Purcell, Gibbons, Blow, Farmer, and Child. But those are just the highlights of the recording, which opens with the tolling of the bells of Westminster Abbey and closes with the tolling of the bells of London and includes along the way trumpet fanfares led by the inestimable Crispian Steele-Perkins, drum processions led by Charles Fullbrook, spoken acclamations by Andrew Carwood as the Archbishop of Canterbury, and shouts of praise by the assembled multitudes. This set may not be for everyone — enemies of the monarchy need not tune in — and may not be for every day — a steady diet of fanfares and processions may be much for some listeners — but when you are in the mood to hear royalty enthroned, this set cannot be surpassed.
Read more
Subsignal – A Poetry of Rain (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 52:21 minutes | 657 MB | Genre: Progressive Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Gentle Art Of Music
A Poetry Of Rain« ist aus vier Jahren kreativer Arbeit des deutschen Progressive Rock-Quintetts Subsignal entstanden und erscheint im September 2023.
Im Jahr 2007 in der Taunus-Region gegründet, haben Subsignal vor »A Poetry Of Rain« bereits fünf Studioalben veröffentlicht. In einem YouTube-Teaser zu diesem Album verrät Gitarrist Markus Steffen vor der Veröffentlichung vielversprechend, dass die musikalische Ausrichtung eine andere als auf dem Vorgänger-Album »La Muerta« (2018) sei. Und genau das ist es, was viele Subsignal-Fans auch erwarten, nämlich Unerwartetes, jedenfalls eine Portion davon, nebst astreiner Progressive Rock-Kompositionen.
Read more
Steven Wilson – Transience (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:07:06 minutes | 1,20 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Kscope
From the very beginning of his musical career, Steven Wilson has worked in a variety of genres. These include the classy experimentalism of No-Man, the classic rock approach of Blackfield, the indie, progressive, and gothic-heavy metal statements of Porcupine Tree, and the electronic explorations of Bass Communion, as well as his solo recordings that rely on prog and, more recently, sophisticated pop/rock. Transience is a limited-edition three-sided vinyl-only compilation (the fourth side contains no music, but a handwritten lyric etching for the song “Happy Returns.” Wilson’s intention was to create “…a more easygoing introduction to my music. These are mostly the shorter song-based tracks (some represented by edits) recorded between 2003 and 2015.” With the exception of the seven-plus-minute final cut, “Drive Home,” from The Raven That Refused to Sing and Other Stories, the remainder rove between three to under six minutes. The set also includes a brand-new version of “Lazarus” released especially for this album. The title track is the single version from Hand. Cannot. Erase. and the edited versions of “Happy Returns” and “Deform to Form a Star” still serve the elemental flow, regardless of their original source: solo, Porcupine Tree, et al. The only complaint is format. In “trying to sequence an album that would act as a more easygoing introduction to my music” while choosing a limited-edition vinyl pressing, Wilson appears to be at cross purposes with his intention. Nonetheless, this is an excellent, if quirky, introduction to one (accessible) aspect of Wilson’s multidimensional persona; it will serve fans — and newcomers — willing to take the plunge. – Thom Jurek
Read more
Steven Wilson – The Harmony Codex (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:05 minutes | 1,03 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Steven Wilson Productions
“It seems I’m miles above the surface of the earth/ I can see across the whole of London and beyond,” intones Rotem Wilson over the hypnotic electronic pulsing of “The Harmony Codex,” the title track of her husband Steven Wilson’s seventh solo album. It’s an evocative, widescreen scene that gives the listener a sense of the scale that Wilson is trying to achieve, along with being a moment of meditative pause in a record characterised by stylistic left-turns and surprises.
Read more
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes (2016 Remaster) (2008/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 55:22 minutes | 956 MB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Kscope
Steven Wilson, four-time Grammy nominee, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder member of Porcupine Tree, released his critically acclaimed debut album on Kscope in March 2009. Comprising 10 tracks that range from ballads and anthems to all-out industrial noise assaults, the dark, cinematic and richly textured album represents two years’ worth of creative output and numerous recording sessions worldwide in studios from Mexico City to Japan and Israel.
While Wilson is a member of several bands including Blackfield, No-Man and Bass Communion, he explained that “when I began writing these songs, I quickly realized that they would be best suited to an album under my own name. It was an intuitive, almost unconscious writing process that resulted in a kind of ‘poetry of melancholy.”
Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests to work on the album including bassist Tony Levin, drummer Gavin Harrison, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, alongside Japanese Koto player Michiyo Yagi, British guitarist Sand Snowman, and jazz flautist and saxophonist Theo Travis.
Read more
Stephen Sanchez – Angel Face (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 39:10 minutes | 433 MB | Genre: Pop
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Mercury Records – Republic Records
Stephen Sanchez veröffentlicht sein mit Spannung erwartetes Debütalbum »Angel Face«. Der mit zahlreichen Gold- und Platinauszeichnungen geehrte Künstler überzeugt mit einem unverkennbaren 60er Jahre Sound und erreichte internationale Anerkennung durch seinen Hit »Until I Found You«. Zusätzlich performte Stephen Sanchez gemeinsam mit der Musiklegende Sir Elton John während seiner letzten Performance beim Glastonbury Festival 2023.
Read more
Steely Dan – Aja (1977/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 39:56 minutes | 1,60 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Geffen
Steely Dan’s 1977 classic, Aja, has been remastered for a new vinyl reissue overseen by Donald Fagen. It is the latest in a series of Steely Dan reissues, all remastered by Bernie Grundman. The new version of Aja, which comes without add-on accoutrements, is out September 29 (via Geffen/UMe).
While the new versions are remastered from analog tape copies that had not been EQed, the original tapes of Aja and Gaucho are believed lost. The main reissue will be pressed to at 33 1/3 RPM. Analogue Productions, the in-house reissue label of Acoustic Sounds, is also putting out a 45-rpm version in the Ultra High-Quality Vinyl format, as well as a Super Audio CD version.
Read more
Sonya Bach – Mussorgsky (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:09:37 minutes | 1,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © RUBICON
Sonya Bach’s fourth album for Rubicon is an all Mussorgsky programme. The famous Pictures at an Exibition and Night on the Bald Mountain bookend rarer repertoire such as the two Pictures from Crimea, Duma, and Méditation. Sonya Bach studied with two of the twentieth century’s great pianists – Alicia de Larrocha and Lazar Berman.
Read more