Montag, 1. Dezember 2025

Mississippi John Hurt ‎– The Best Of Mississippi John Hurt - Ain't No Tellin'

No blues singer ever presented a more gentle, genial image than Mississippi John Hurt. A guitarist with an extraordinarily lyrical and refined fingerpicking style, he also sang with a warmth unique in the field of blues, and the gospel influence in his music gave it a depth and reflective quality unusual in the field. 

Coupled with the sheer gratitude and amazement that he felt over having found a mass audience so late in life, and playing concerts in front of thousands of people - for fees that seemed astronomical to a man who had always made music a sideline to his life as a farm laborer - these qualities make Hurt's recordings into a very special listening experience. 

"Ain´t No Tellin´" is a compilation album of live recordings from various performances.

Tracklist:
1Rich Woman Blues
2Trouble I Had All My Days
3Chicken Blues
4Coffee Blues
5Monday Morning Blues
6Frankie & Albert
7Talking Casey
8Here I Am, Oh Lord Send Me
9Hard Times In The Old Town
10Spike Drivers Blues
11Candy Man
12My Creole Belle
13Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
14Shake That Thing
15I'm Satisfied
16Salty Dog
17Nobody's Business
18The Angels Laid Him Away
19Casey Jones
20Baby What's Wrong With You
21Lonesome Blues

(320 kbps, cover art included)

Samstag, 29. November 2025

Walter Benjamin - Aufklärung für Kinder



Walter Benjamin prepared and delivered some 30 broadcasts for German Radio between 1929-1932 specifically for children, maybe 7-14 or so, each consisting of a 20 minute talk or monologue.

A main emphasis was on introducing the youth to various, some of them classical, natural catastrophes, for instance the Lisbon earthquake of the 1750's that so shook the optimism of Voltaire and the century, a flood of the Mississippi of 1927, the Pompeii disaster as came through the famous letter of Pliny the Younger; another subject was various episodes of lawlessness fraud and deceit, much of it recent, for instance bootlegger's boats that were bringing rum or whatever to America through the prohibition blockade. "Aufklärung für Kinder" ("Enlightenment for Children") was the name of the series.

This release collects some of these broadcasts, read in german language by Harald Wiesner.

Walter Benjamin - Aufklärung für Kinder
(128 kbps, front cover included)

Donnerstag, 27. November 2025

The Chambers Brothers - Feelin´ The Blues (1970)

Like their West Coast contemporaries Sly and the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers shattered racial and musical divides to forge an incendiary fusion of funk, gospel, blues, and psychedelia which reached its apex with the perennial 1968 song "Time Has Come Today."
Musical siblings George Chambers (bass/vocals), Willie Chambers (guitar/vocals), Lester Chambers (harmonica/vocals), and Joe Chambers (guitar/vocals) were raised on rural gospel in their native Mississippi before switching over to folk and then soulful blues and R&B-fueled rock. The Chambers Brothers' recordings issued by the Los Angeles-based Vault label were nearly four years old when "Feelin' the Blues" hit the streets in 1970. The band's style had changed quite drastically from old-school blues, soul, and pop to the longer psychedelic jams heard on their international hit "Time Has Come Today." Although the mixture of live and studio selections gives the collection an odds-and-sods vibe, several of the performances are among the best of the Vault Records-era material.

Somewhat contrasting with the album's title, the Chambers actually cover a wide spectrum of music on "Feelin' the Blues". Their roots can be heard throughout the flawless interpretation of the sacred standards "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" and the excellent "Travel on My Way." Similarly, the midtempo reading of Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" offers the Chambers an opportunity to subtly return to their gospel origins with call-and-response backing harmonies. The proceedings are far from being pious, however, as the quartet harmonizes the chorus of "Too Fat Polka" during one of the instrumental breaks. Perhaps wishing to remove some of the sting from the real storyline, the reworking of "House of the Rising Sun" - according to the spoken introduction - is told from the point of view of the receptionist (huh?) at the infamous bordello. Had the Chambers Brothers decided on a more straightforward translation, the song could easily have been one of the album's best. Other tunes worth spinning include a version of Bobby Parker's "Blues Get Off My Shoulder" - in a longer form than on 1968's "The Chambers Brothers Shout!" - and the comparatively brief but effective update of the jazzy "Undecided."

Tracklist:
A1Girls, We Love You
A2I Got A Woman
A3House Of The Rising Sun
B1Don't Lose Your Cool
B2Just A Closer Walk With Thee
B3Blues Get Off My Shoulder
B4Travel On My Way
B5Undecided

The Chambers Brothers - Feelin´ The Blues (1970)
(320 kbps, cover art included)

Dienstag, 25. November 2025

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963

Together with 1963's "Avalon Blues" (as opposed to the similarly titled compendium of 1928 recordings), "Worried Blues" represents the best of Mississippi John Hurt's later work, following his rediscovery in the early 1960s.

As much a folk musician as a bluesman, Hurt included traditional and devotional music as well as blues in his oeuvre. His wide-ranging repertoire here is highlighted by "Farther Along" and "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep." Accompanied only by his guitar, Hurt is a compelling, engaging performer who eschews gimmickry. The ease with which he plays creates a peacefulness at the center of this music that's undeniably appealing. --Genevieve Williams

Tracklist:

1Lazy Blues3:20
2Farther Along3:51
3Sliding Delta5:09
4Nobody Cares For Me3:38
5Cow Hooking Blues No. 23:46
6Talkin' Casey4:51
7Weeping And Wailing4:11
8Worried Blues4:43
9Oh Mary Don't You Weep3:26
10I Been Cryin' Since You Been Gone3:09

Mississippi John Hurt - Worried Blues 1963
(256 kbps, cover art included)

Sonntag, 23. November 2025

Wolfgang Neuss - Kabarettgeschichte(n) - Ein Porträt

Wolfgang Neuss (3 December 1923 – 5 May 1989)[ was a German actor and Kabarett artist. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he also became famous for his political engagement, first for the SPD, then for the extra-parliamentary opposition, APO. He died in 1989 from a longtime cancer.

At the age of 15 he went to Berlin to become a clown but was dismissed. When Germany entered into the Second World War Neuss was drafted, first to the Reich Labour Service where he was occupied with road construction. Later he was sent to the Eastern Front where he became injured and was rewarded with the Iron Cross. It was during his stays in military hospitals and, after the war during military detention that Neuss began to discover his interest in acting and for Kabarett.


Tracklist:

1. Der Mann Mit Der Pauke
2. Ich Bin Der, Vor Dem Mich Meine Eltern Immer Gewarnt Haben
3. Eine Kindheit In Breslau Zwischen Theke Und Biertischchen
4. Der Schlachterlehrling Mit Clownstalent
5. Humor Als Waffe Auf Hitlers Feld Der Ehre
6. Neuss'sche "Lachkalorien" In Den Hungerjahren
7. Das Sensationelle Erfolgsduo Im Wirtschaftswunderland: Wolfgang Neuss Und Wolfgang Müller
8. "Maulkorb Statt Pauke" - Tonstörungen Beim Fernsehen Des SFB
9. Neuss, Der Polit-Clown, Behauptet Seinen Platz Zwischen Allen Stühlen
10. Der Fernseh-Krimi-Spielverderber Der Nation
11. Folgenreicher Seitensprung Nach Ostberlin
12. "Neuss Testament" An Aufrechte Erben
13. Position Zur Politischen Situation Der 60er Jahre - Leidenschaftliche Opposition
14. Resignation, Sozialhilfe, Drogenmissbrauch - "Bin Soeben Durchs Soziale Netz Gepurzelt. Endlich wieder unter Menschen"
15. Zahnloses Berliner Schandmaul Gelegentlich Mit Biss


Wolfgang Neuss - Kabarettgeschichte(n) - Ein Porträt
(320 kbps, front cover included)



Freitag, 21. November 2025

Wolfganz Szepansky & Emil Ackermann - ...denn in uns zieht die Hoffnung mit - Lieder, gesungen im Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen


The "Sachsenhausenkomittee Westberlin" - an organisation of survivors of the concentration camp Sachsenhausen-  released around 1980 a small book with memories of the anti-fascists Wolfgang Szepansky and Emil Ackermann together with this cassette featurung songs sung in the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

The songs are interpreted by Wolfgang Szepansky (prisoner number 33527) and Emil Ackermann (prisoner number 775), accompanied by Josef-Maria "Pepi" Metzke, Jochen Horvath, Dieter "Max" Mehr and Robert "Robby" Hartog -  members of the folk group "Sorgenhobel".

Wolfgang Szepansky (* October 9, 1910 in Berlin-Wedding ; † 23 August 2008 in Berlin-Schöneberg) was a German anti-fascist, communist resistance fighter, author and painter.



Tracklist:
  • Sachsenhausen-Lied
  • Kameraden, lasst uns singen
  • Was uns auch begegnet hier
  • Wir sind Moorsoldaten
  • Das Glöckchen
  • Partisanen vom Amur
  • Wilde Gesellen
  • Wir sind nicht zu verbieten
  • Fichtemarsch
  • Wir sind die Moorsoldaten

  • Accordion– Jochen Horvath
    Guitar– Robert "Robby" Hartog
    Guitar, Mandolin– Dieter "Max" Mehr
    Violin– Michael Spitzer
    Vocals– Emil Ackermann, Josef-Maria "Pepi" Metzke, Wolfgang Szepansky
    Recorded  at "Mauerton"-studio in Berlin-Kreuzberg and mixed by Leo Lehr.

    Wolfgang Szepansky & Emil Ackermann - ...denn in uns zieht die Hoffnung mit
    (320 kbps, front cover and informations included, tape rip)

    Donnerstag, 20. November 2025

    John Lee Hooker - The Great (1963)

    John Lee Hooker was the king of the endless boogie, a globally cherished bluesman whose droning, hypnotic, one-chord grooves were driving, primitive, and timeless. 

    During a 50-year career, he melded regional sounds from the Delta, Detroit, and Chicago in a trademark, oft-imitated approach. From the late 1940s until 1969, he cut more than 100 singles for labels such as Modern, Chess, Federal, Atco, and Vee-Jay, including hits such as "I'm in the Mood," "Hobo Blues," "Boogie Chillen," "Crawling Kingsnake," and "Boom Boom." 

    In 1966 he resurrected and reinvented the '50s R&B hit "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" and made it his own.


    Tracklist:

    A1 I Need Love So Bad
    A2 Sally Mae
    A3 Key To The Highway
    A4 How Can You Do It?
    A5 It Hurts Me So
    B1 She Left Me
    B2 I Got Eyes For You
    B3 Let's Talk It Over
    B4 I'm A Howling Wolf
    B5 Tease Your Daddy


    (320 kbps, cover art included)

    Mittwoch, 19. November 2025

    VA - Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett (1987)

    Like a supernova, Roger "Syd" Barrett burned briefly and brightly, leaving an indelible mark upon psychedelic and progressive rock as the founder and original singer, songwriter, and lead guitarist of Pink Floyd. Barrett was responsible for most of their brilliant first album, 1967's "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", but left and/or was fired from the band in early 1968 after his erratic behavior had made him too difficult to deal with (he appears on a couple tracks on their second album, "A Saucerful of Secrets"). Such was his stature within the original lineup that few observers thought the band could survive his departure; in fact, the original group's management decided to keep Syd on and leave the rest of the band to their own devices. Pink Floyd never recaptured the playful humor and mad energy of their work with Barrett.               

    Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett is a tribute album consisting of music written by Syd Barrett. The musicians performing on the album are British and American indie rock artists. The songs featured come from Pink Floyd's singles; the albums The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets; and Barrett's two solo albums: The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. Although Barrett's productive recording career had only lasted from 1967 though 1970, his music had a great influence on the development of psychedelic rock, alternative rock and indie rock music.

    "Beyond the Wildwood" is a must have for any serious Syd fan. This album of covers is a fine tribute, the songs are not at all "replicas"; they are all fresh and re-worked, some of them quite radically. 


    1. The Mock Turtles - No Good Trying
    2. Plasticland - Octopus
    3. SS-20 - Arnold Layne
    4. Paul Roland - Matilda Mother
    5. Fit And Limo - Long Cold Look
    6. The Shamen - Long Gone
    7. Opal - If The Sun Don't Shine (Adaptation Of Jugband Blues)
    8. The Ashes In The Morning - Baby Lemonade
    9. The Lobster Quadrille - Wolfpack
    10. The Paint Set - Golden Hair
    11. Tropicana Fishtank - No Man's Land
    12. The T.V. Personalities - Apples And Oranges
    13. The Soup Dragons - Two Of A Kind
    14. The Green Telescope - Scream Thy Last Scream
    15. The Chemistry Set - See Emily Play
    16. What Noise - Rats
    17. Death Of Samantha - Gigolo Aunt

    VA - Beyond the Wildwood – A Tribute to Syd Barrett (1987)
    (256 kbps, cover art incuded)

    Montag, 17. November 2025

    King Tubbys, Prince Jammy´s, Scientist - Dubwise Revolution


    King Tubby is to this day synonymous with dub. He was a man who had a passion for fiddling with sound equipment, and turned that passion into a new musical genre and a veritable art form. He may have started his career as a repairman, but before he was done, his name was one of the most respected around the world. He worked with virtually every artist in Jamaica, and his name on a remix was like gold, a seal of quality that was never questioned.

    A member of dub's royal family, Lloyd James (aka Prince Jammy, aka King Jammy) began his career as an apprentice mixer under the late great King Tubby.

    Scientist was an employee of Tubby's, fixing transformers and televisions, when one day, after an animated conversation about mixing records, Tubby challenged the Scientist to take a shot at remixing a record.

    Guess "Dubwise Revolution" is a 1970s dub album, produced by Prince Jammy and mixed by Scientist nd King Tubby.

    Tracklist:

    Come Dub
    Iniquity Dub
    Just One Dub
    Late Night Dub
    Ants Nest
    Holy Dub
    Crisp Dub
    Echo Chamber
    Better Must Dub
    Big Dub
    Vanity Dub
    Bell The Cat Dub
    Rock A Dub
    Play On Dub


    King Tubbys, Prince Jammys, Scientist - Dubwise Revolution
    (192 kbps, front cover included)

    Freitag, 14. November 2025

    John Hartford - Morning Bugle (1972)


    John Hartford remains best known for the country-pop standard "Gentle on My Mind," a major hit for Glen Campbell and subsequently covered by vocalists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Aretha Franklin. The song remains among the most often recorded in the history of popular music, its copyright netting Hartford well over a hundred thousand dollars annually for many years. But there was more to Hartford than that curious mix of highly literary folk music and MOR romantic nostalgia, told from the perspective of a homeless man remembering days of perfect love. Hartford was a multi-talented old-time musician, a riverboat captain, a satirical songwriter, a one-man showman of exceptional talents, and one of the founders of both progressive country music and old-time string music revivalism.

    "Morning Bugle" is one of Hartford's finest records. Done mostly live in the studio with virtually no over-dubs, this is a fine collection of song covering a variety of subjects. Two of the most poignant are "Howard Hughes Blues" and "Nobody Eats at Linebaugh's," which addresses country music's abandonment of the Ryman and downtown Nashville in favor of "the park." The album features jazz double bassist Dave Holland, who performs with both Hartford and Norman Blake for the very first time. It was recorded at Bearsville Sound in Bearsville, New York and released in June, 1972. The music was all written by Hartford, except for two traditional tunes.

    John Hartford - Morning Bugle (1972)
    (192 kbps, cover art included)

    Dienstag, 11. November 2025

    Rolando Alarcon - Canciones de la Guerra Civil Espanola (1968)

     
    On 18 July 1936, a group of military officers attempted a coup to overthrow the leftwing Popular Front government that had come to powerbin Spain in February. That date marks the beginning of the Spanish civil war, which killed 500,000 people and resulted in 450,000 fleeing Spain.

    Here´s the another fine compliation with Rolando Alarcon´s recordings of songs related to the spanish civil war. It was released in 1968.

    Tracklist:

    01. Si me quieres escribir
    02. El quinto regimiento
    03. El turu ru ru ru
    04. Las morillas de Jaen
    05. Dime donde vas, morena
    06. Viva la quinta brigada
    07. Eres alta y delgada
    08. Los cuatro generales
    09. Nubes y esperanza
    10. No pasaran

    Rolando Alarcon - Canciones de la Guerra Civil Espanola (1968)

    (128 kbps, cover art included)

    Sonntag, 9. November 2025

    Jalda Rebling - Hans-Werner Apel - Stefan Maass - Jews in Germany (1250-1750) - Juden in Deutschland (1994)

    Today we remember the anti-Jewish pogrom in Nazi Germany and Austria on 9 to 10 November1938, also known as "Novemberpogrome", "Reichskristallnacht", "Reichspogromnacht" or "Pogromnacht" in German.

    This album features jewish music from 5 centuries performed by the famous jewish vocalist Jalda Rebling and the well known musicians Hans-Werner Apel and Stefan Maass. No easy-listening, but excellent and very impressive. The album was recorded in 1994.

    The present recordings provide for the first time a representative cross-section of the Jewish history of music in Germany. The highlights of Hebrew, Yiddish and German songs tell us of 500 years of fruitful and dreadful neighbourhood in a country, which seemed to be a second, intellectual home for the Jewish people, and yet became the place of ruthless persecution.

    Tracklist:

    1a. Wa heb' uf, unt niht envint - komponiert von Süßkind von Trimberg
    1b. Ich var uf der toren vart - komponiert von Süßkind von Trimberg
    2. Ein wolf vil jaemerlichen sprach - komponiert von Süßkind von Trimberg
    3. Möcht ich dein wegeren
    4. Der Winter will hinweichen
    5. Judenverfolgung zu Passau 1477
    5a. O du armer Judas
    5b. Variationen auf den armen Judas - komponiert von Hans Gerle
    6. Judentanz - komponiert von Hans Newsidler
    7a. Vintz Hanß Lied - komponiert von Elchanan b. Abraham Helen
    7b. Triumphmarsch - komponiert von Elchanan b. Abraham Helen
    8. Judentanz - komponiert von Wolff Heckel
    9. Addir hu - komponiert von Johann Stephan Rittangel
    10. Galgengesang des Joseph Süß Oppenheimer
    11. Eins wollt ihr es nennen
    12. Ergötzlichkeit zur rechten Zeit - komponiert von Adam Krieger
    13. Kallalied
    14. Zu Chassene und B'rith-Mile - komponiert von Elchanan b. Abraham Helen
    15. Akdomus - komponiert von Leijb Chasan
    16. Das neue Jerusalem
    17. Ki lo naeh - komponiert von Johann Stephan Rittangel

    Jalda Rebling - Hans-Werner Apel - Stefan Maass - Jews in Germany (1250-1750) - Juden in Deutschland (1994)
    (192 kbps, cover art included)

    Donnerstag, 6. November 2025

    On-U Sound Disco Plate Collection Part II

    A disproportionate amount of the best modern reggae has emerged from the strange, dark depths of the Berry Street studio in London, home base of Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound label. On-U material has always been notoriously difficult to get in any format, but most elusive of all are the legendary 10" "disco plate" singles Sherwood produced in the early 1980s and 1990s.

    This disc is the second volume in an attempt to remedy that situation by reissuing the best of the disco plates on CD. Though fans of the label will already own alternate versions of a number of these tracks (such as "93 Struggle" and Bim Sherman's "Keep You Dancing") and even the exact same versions of a couple of others ("Autobiography" and "Breaking Down the Pressure" have been credited elsewhere to Singers & Players), this disc is more than worth the investment if only for the brilliant obscurities: Undivided Roots deliver a charming lament titled "England Cold," which is followed by a typically over-the-top Sherwood dub mix; "Can't Stop Jumping" is a dub version of "Keep You Dancing" featuring Dr. Pablo on keys.

    This is pure reggae & dub gold, and devotees are well advised to snap it up while they can...

    VA - On-U Sound Disco Plate Collection Part II
    (192 kbps, small front cover included)

    Dienstag, 4. November 2025

    Slapp Happy & Dagmar Krause - Ultra Rare Trax

    Slapp Happy was formed in 1972 when British keyboardist and avant-garde composer Anthony Moore met New York guitarist/artist/cartoonist/poet Peter Blegvad. The two were living in Hamburg at the time, and Moore had already released several albums of “new music” for Polydor. When Polydor rejected one of his albums outright, he proposed a pop-oriented project instead. Local girl Dagmar Krause, a former member of the folk-rock group The City Preachers, was recruited as vocalist and Slapp Happy was born.

    This terrific collection was released in 1996.


    Tracklist:

              Casablanca Moon EP:
                    Casablanca Moon (single edit)
                    Me and Pavarti (single edit)
              City Preachers:
                    Hey, La La La
                    Who are you
                    Any Day in Wonderland
                    Sometimes the Sky is filled with Rain
                    Canada
                    On a Train Ride
                    Betty Dupree
                    Wenn Abendlichter Glanzen
                    Penelope
                    Golden Yesterdays
                    Come Back
                    Franky and Johnny
                    Old Shanty Town
              Commuters:
                    The Ventriloquist
                    The Young Lieutenant
                    The Architect
                    The Poet
                    The Man on the Island
                    The Acrobat
                    The Organist
                    The Philosopher
                    The Gentlemen on the Stairs
                    The Priest
              Sort Of EP:
                    Alcohol
              Anthony Moore EP:
                    Judy (single edit)
                    Lucia (single edit)
              Slapp Happy Including Anthony Moore EP:
                    Johnny's Dead
                    Mr. Rainbow


    Slapp Happy & Dagmar Krause - Ultra Rare Trax
    (320 kbps, cover art included)

    Montag, 3. November 2025

    The Members - Uprhythm, Downbeat (1982)

    The punk-orthodoxy view of the Members is that after a string of promising reggae-tinged singles, the septet released one fine album in 1979's "At the Chelsea Nightclub", then lost the plot completely with the follow-up, 1980: "The Choice Is Yours", after which they're ignored with an embarrassed throat-clearing. In point of fact, however, the Members rebounded after their second album (which itself is actually not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, sort of the Members' own version of "Sandinista!" in its appealing looseness and lack of consistent focus) by ridding themselves of any lingering punk associations and going for a complete sonic makeover. 

    The band joined up with producer Martin Rushent (Human League, Altered Images, the Go-Go's), who was a master of making unpromisingly non-commercial bands have big shiny hit records without losing their souls in the process. Rushent nailed it immediately with the Members, concocting the utterly delightful "Working Girl." A mixture of snarky lyrics about the joys of freeloading and a genuinely transcendent chorus, "Working Girl" is a classic '80s pop single and -- despite the protestations of the punker than thou -- easily the best thing the Members ever did. Yes, including "Solitary Confinement." Sadly, the rest of Uprhythm Downbeat doesn't reach the same heights, but the good outweighs the bad, including an inspired reggae version of Kraftwerk's "The Model," the self-celebrating "The Family" and "Boys Like Us," and another minor hit, "Going West."

    Tracklist:

    "Working Girl" (Nick Tesco, Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:09
    "The Family" (Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:11
    "The Model" (Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Emil Schult) 5:10
    "Chairman of the Board" (Nick Tesco, Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:05
    "Boys Like Us" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:11
    "Going West" (Chris Payne) 4:10
    "Radio" (Nigel Bennett) 5:52
    "Fire (in My Heart)" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:19
    "You and Me Against the World" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:22
    "We the People" (Nick Tesco, Chris Payne) 5:10

    2006 CD Bonus Tracks:
    "Working Girl" (single version)
    "Holiday in Tanganika"
    "Every Day is Just a Holiday"
    "If You Can't Stand Up"
    "At the Arcade"
    "Membership"

    (128 kbps, cover art included)

    Sonntag, 2. November 2025

    Mississippi John Hurt - Friends Of Old Time Music Concert, December 13, 1963

    No blues singer ever presented a more gentle, genial image than Mississippi John Hurt.

    A guitarist with an extraordinarily lyrical and refined fingerpicking style, he also sang with a warmth unique in the field of blues, and the gospel influence in his music gave it a depth and reflective quality unusual in the field. Coupled with the sheer gratitude and amazement that he felt over having found a mass audience so late in life, and playing concerts in front of thousands of people -- for fees that seemed astronomical to a man who had always made music a sideline to his life as a farm laborer -- these qualities make Hurt's recordings into a very special listening experience.
    Here´s the soundboard recording of the "friends of old time music concert", School of Medicine, Alumni Hall
    New York, N.Y., December 13, 1963.

    Tracklist:
    1.Do Lord intro
    2.Do Lord Remember Me
    3.Since Ive Laid My Burden Down
    4.C.C. Rider
    5.Casey Jones
    6.Nobody's Dirty Business
    7.Richmond Woman Intro
    8.Richmond Woman Blues
    9.Let The Mermaids Flirt W Me
    10.Spike drivers Blues
    11.Stagger Lee
    12.Pallet On Your Floor
    13.Coffee Blues Intro
    14.Coffee Blues
    15.My Creole Blues
    16.Franky and Jonnie
    17.Talking Casey

    Filler tracks from 1964:
    18.Monday Morning Blues
    19.Pallet on Your Floor

    Thanks to http://arizjones.blogspot.com/!

    Mississippi John Hurt - December 13, 1963
    (320 kbps, no cover art included)

    Samstag, 1. November 2025

    Minimal Compact – Minimal Compact (1982, Crammed)

    Minimal Compact was an Israeli 
    rock band associated with the post-punk and indie rock movement of the 1980s.

    When punk and new wave blew up in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the fallout was felt on a global level even though acts from the U.S. and the U.K. snagged most of the attention. Minimal Compact from Tel Aviv, Israel were one of the little-known post-punk acts outside of the usual suspects. Formed in 1981 by vocalist Samy Birnbach, bassist Malka Spigel, and guitarist Berry Sakharof, Minimal Compact incorporated native Middle Eastern sounds into dark European rock, breaking ground that groups such as Blancmange and Savage Republic would eventually cross. 

    What prevented Minimal Compact from becoming completely obscure because of their geographic roots was that they relocated to Amsterdam early in their career and therefore found support within the European music community. The band wanted refuge from their native land's provincial attitudes; moving to Amsterdam enabled them to fulfill their dream of international recognition. The group was signed to the Belgian label Crammed and released this self-titled EP in 1981.


    Tracklist:

    Statik Dancin' 3:47
    Creation Is Perfect (I Am A Camera) 4:28
    Ready-Made Diary 4:37
    To Get Inside 5:18
    Happy Babouge 3:29


    (320 kbps, cover art included)

    Freitag, 31. Oktober 2025

    Tom Rush - The Circle Game (1968)

    A candid and charming collection of songs that glisten as beautifully as a clear mountain stream. Singer/songwriter/poet Tom Rush had a wonderful idea in mind for a concept album, working with music business greats Arthur Gorson and Paul Harris to blend the best of the time period's songwriters. The effort results in a splendid achievement of emotionally and lyrically gripping material.

    Taking advantage of his resonant tenor voice and the majestic talents of a stirring crew of musicians, Rush performs wistful and ethereal versions of some of his favorite songs. Material selected includes deeply lyrical tunes such as Joni Mitchell's "Tin Angel" and "Urge for Going," and romantic songs like James Taylor's "Something in the Way She Moves." The album, titled "The Circle Game", features Mitchell's radio hit single of the same name.

    Certainly during the '70s this album was marketed well and fared with great success among the listening public, inviting Rush into an elite group of solo singer/songwriters of the decade. Just to prove to the world that he is no fluke himself when it comes to arranging and composing, Rush succeeds with two beautifully crafted works of his own, masterfully woven and spun on the acoustic guitar, along with an endearing work of lush production featuring the brilliant efforts of conductor Paul Harris and orchestra. A must-listen for those who are sincerely curious and are seeking a good singer/songwriter talent from this period.                

    Tom Rush - The Circle Game (1968)
    (192 kbps, cover art included)

    Donnerstag, 30. Oktober 2025

    Francesco De Gregori – Rimmel (1975)

    Francesco De Gregori's first three records, as brilliant as they often were, went largely unnoticed. Everything changed with "Rimmel", the 1975 release that made him into a pop superstar, and second only to Fabrizio De André as the greatest of Italian cantautori. 

    With a little help from friends such as Lucio Dalla, De Gregori expanded his singer/songwriter compositions into full-blown pop songs. Accordingly, the spare acoustic guitar that dominated his previous albums is replaced by band arrangements, with the central role given over to piano and organ. Certainly, the addition of keyboards, drums, backing vocals, electric bass, and studio effects made the record much more radio- and concert-friendly, but the secret of Rimmel's triumph lies in its concise yet uniformly brilliant set of songs. 

    Every De Gregori greatest-hits collection includes at least half of this album's nine tracks. In fact, it is hard to think of any other album by any Italian artist that brings together so many songs destined to become standards of modern Italian pop music. It is also this record that started the accusations leveled at De Gregori of selling out his left-wing beliefs for commercial success, by committing the ultimate sin of writing love songs. While in retrospect this appears as utter insanity, it is testimony to the charged climate of 1970s Italy, as well as to the key role played by politics in the music and public persona of Italian songwriters. More importantly, such accusations manage to ignore the blatant fact that Rimmel has its fair share of remarkable "political" songs, such as the classics "Il Signor Hood" and "Pablo," both subject to much debate as to who were the real-life personalities that inspired them, as well as the gorgeous "Le Storie di Ieri," about the childhood of the son of a political opposition figure. Furthermore, De Gregori's love songs are a far cry from the trite offerings of, say, the San Remo Festival. In fact, a song like the stunning "Pezzi di Vetro" is full of the same surrealist imagery and enigmatic characters that populate the songwriter's universe, as it stubbornly refuses any easy interpretation while managing to suggest a myriad of complex emotions. Lastly, separate mention is due to the extraordinary title track, which juxtaposes an elegant, lilting piano melody with a subdued vocal; they gradually mount together into a crescendo, to ultimately settle for resignation. As the verses go by, De Gregori shapes contrasting yet coexistent waves of bitterness, dejection, gratitude, and lingering affection into a farewell thank-you/curse-you note to an ex-lover; to many, it is one of the finest Italian songs ever written. "Rimmel" became De Gregori's signature song, and it is only fitting that one of the most important Italian albums of the 1970s should be named after it.


    Tracklist:

    A1 Rimmel 3:42
    A2 Pezzi Di Vetro 3:08
    A3 Il Signor Hood 3:11
    A4 Pablo 4:22
    A5 Buonanotte Fiorellino 2:05
    B1 Le Storie Di Ieri 4:08
    B2 Quattro Cani 3:16
    B3 Piccola Mela 2:45
    B4 Piano Bar 2:45


    (320 kbps, cover art included)

    Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2025

    Patti Smith - Divine Intervention (Roskilde 1996)

    "Three chord rock merged with the power of the word."

    So Patti Smith described her music on the 1975 release of "Horses", her celebrated debut album; and so she has continued to blend the spoken and sung arts in incantatory fashion with her latest work, "Twelve".

    Impossible to categorize, moving easily between the literary and musical worlds, always unpredictable and impassioned, she is an idiosyncratically unique performer who has always remained true to her artistic vision.
    Born in Chicago and raised in Woodbury, New Jersey, just across the state line from Philadelphia, Patti's mother, Beverly, was a jazz singer cum waitress. Her father, Grant,
    worked at the Honeywell plant; she was the oldest of four siblings: her sisters Linda and Kimberly (the latter plays mandolin on Gone Again's "Ravens,"), and brother Todd. Unable to find her place in high school society, she took refuge in the images of Rimbaud, Bob Dylan, James Brown, and the Rolling Stones. Dropping out of Glassboro State Teacher's College, she headed for the bright lights - big city of New York.
    .
    "Divine Intervention" (1996, Rupert 9681) is a recording of her performance on June, 30, 1996 at the Roskile Festival in Denmark. The performance and the sound quality are good, so enjoy another Patti Smith bootleg...
    .
    Patti Smith - Divine Intervention (Roskilde 1996)
    (192 kbps, front cover included)