Alphabet Soup (25)

Hello Alphabet Soup is nearing the end of the line, Y . Thankfully much more choice there as with X, so no trouble having 3 wide ranging artists. Neil Young 's career spans 40 years now, here i limit myself to his first decade, when Young released his career retrospective , a triple album no less, I followed the vinyl format with 3 seperate downloads. The Young Gods came into the picture 10 years later, 87 and released Melody makers album of the year. They will release their 14th album, Knock on Wood, later this month, again a side step/surprise like the album Plays Kurt Weill was too. But The Young Gods like a challenge and draw the best from themselves...My last artist hadn't been born when Decade was released and when his debut album saw the light in 2000, the 20 year old from Hungary surprised the music world with his lo-fi, Shallow and Profound..

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Neil Young - Decade ( 77, 142min ^ 297mb)

Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945, Toronto). Neil spent his early years in the small country town in southern Ontario, he was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and a bout of polio at the age of 6 left him with a weakened left side; he still walks with a slight limp. His parents divorced when Young was 12, and he moved with his mother back to the family home of Winnipeg, Manitoba, where his music career began. While attending Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, he played in several instrumental rock bands. Young's first stable band was called the Squires, and they had a local hit called "The Sultan." Young dropped out of high school and also played in Fort William, where they recorded a series of demos and he first encountered Stephen Stills. Young toured solo as a folk artist and by 66 he reached Los Angeles, Young met up with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin and Palmer to form Buffalo Springfield. A mixture of folk, country, psychedelia, and rock lent a hard edge by the twin lead guitars of Stills and Young made Buffalo Springfield a critical success, and their first record Buffalo Springfield (1967) sold well . A second album, Buffalo Springfield Again, was released in late 1967, but two of Young’s three contributions were actually solo tracks recorded apart from the rest of the group. In May 1968, the band split up for good, but in order to fulfill a contractual obligation, a final album, Last Time Around, was recorded, primarily from recordings made earlier that year.

After the breakup, Young signed a solo deal with Reprise Records, home of his colleague and friend Joni Mitchell, with whom he shared a manager, Elliot Roberts. Young and Nitzsche immediately began work on Young's first solo record, Neil Young (November 1968), which received mixed reviews. For his next album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, Young recruited three musicians Danny Whitten on guitar, Billy Talbot on bass guitar, and Ralph Molina on drums, they took the name Crazy Horse. Recorded in just two weeks, the album opens with one of Young's most familiar songs, "Cinnamon Girl," and is dominated by two more, "Cowgirl in the Sand" and "Down by the River," that feature lengthy jams showcasing Young's idiosyncratic guitar soloing accompanied sympathetically by Crazy Horse. Shortly after the release Young reunited with Stephen Stills by joining Crosby, Stills, & Nash. The quartet debuted in Chicago on August 16, 1969, and later performed at the famous Woodstock Festival. During the making of their first album, Déjà Vu, the musicians frequently argued, particularly Young and Stills, who both fought for control. Also that year, Young released his third solo album, After the Gold Rush (1970), which featured, among others, a young Nils Lofgren, Stephen Stills, and CSNY bassist Greg Reeves. The album was a commercial breakthrough for Young and contains some of his best known work.

With CSNY splitting up and Crazy Horse having signed their own record deal, Young began the year 1971 with a solo tour. Later, he recruited a new group of country-music session musicians, to record much of the new material that had been premiered on tour for the album Harvest (1972). Harvest was a massive hit and "Heart of Gold" became a US number one single. Another notable song was "The Needle and the Damage Done," a lament for talented artists who died because of heroin addiction; inspired in part by the heroin use of Crazy Horse member Danny Whitten, who would eventually die of an overdose. The album's success, however, caught Young off guard, and his first instinct was to back away from stardom. In the handwritten liner notes to the Decade compilation, Young described 'Heart of Gold' as the song that "put me in the middle of the road. Travelling there soon became a bore, so I headed for the ditch. A rougher ride but I saw more interesting people there."

The follow up album Time Fades Away occupies a unique position in Young’s discography as the first of three albums known collectively as the "Ditch Trilogy" In the second half of 1973, deeply affected by the drug-induced deaths of Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry, Young recorded Tonight's the Night. The album's dark tone and rawness caused Reprise to delay the release until two years later and only after being pressured by Young to do so. The album received mixed reviews at the time, but is now regarded by some as a precursor to punk rock. While his record company delayed the release of Tonight's the Night, Young recorded On the Beach (1974), which dealt with themes such as the downside of fame and the Californian lifestyle. Like Time Fades Away and Tonight's the Night, it sold poorly but would eventually become a critical favourite, presenting some of Young's most original work.

Compiled by Young himself, with his hand-written notes about each track, representing every album from his career and various affiliations through 1977 with the exception of Four Way Street and Time Fades Away. Of the previously unreleased songs, "Down to the Wire" features the New Orleans pianist Dr. John with Buffalo Springfield on an item from their shelved Stampede album; "Love Is a Rose" was a minor hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1975; "Winterlong" received a cover by Pixies on the Neil Young tribute album from 1989, The Bridge; and "Campaigner" is yet another Young song critical of Richard Nixon. The track "Long May You Run" is a different mix to that found on the album of the same name, featuring the harmonies of the full CSNY before Crosby & Nash left the recording sessions.The album has been lauded in many quarters as one of the best examples of a career retrospective for a rock and roll artist, and as a template for the box set collections that would follow in the 1980s and beyond.



Neil Young - Decade I (77 ^ 99mb)

01 - Buffalo Springfield - Down To The Wire (2:26)
02 - Buffalo Springfield - Burned (2:15)
03 - Buffalo Springfield - Mr. Soul (2:46)
04 - Buffalo Springfield - Broken Arrow (6:08)
05 - Buffalo Springfield - Expecting To Fly (3:40)
06 - Neil Young - Sugar Mountain (5:36)

07 - Neil Young - I Am A Child (2:16)
08 - Neil Young - The Loner (3:48)
09 - Neil Young - The Old Laughing Lady (5:53)
10 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cinnamon Girl (2:57)
11 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Down By The River (8:52)

Neil Young - Decade II ( ^ 99mb)

12 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cowgirl In The Sand (9:54)
13 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - I Believe In You (3:24)
14 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - After The Gold Rush (3:42)
15 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Southern Man (5:23)
16 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Helpless (3:27)

17 - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio (2:56)
18 - Neil Young - Soldier (2:28)
19 - Neil Young - Old Man (3:18)
20 - Neil Young - A Man Needs A Maid (3:55)
21 - Neil Young - Harvest (3:06)
22 - Neil Young - Heart of Gold (3:03)
23 - Neil Young - Star Of Bethlehem (2:36)

Neil Young - Decade III ( ^ 99mb)

24 - Neil Young - The Needle And The Damage Done (2:01)
25 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Tonight's The Night (Part 1) (4:35)
26 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Tired Eyes (4:27)
27 - Neil Young - Walk On (2:37)
28 - Neil Young - For The Turnstiles (2:56)
29 - Neil Young - Winterlong (3:03)
30 - Neil Young - Deep Forbidden Lake (3:37)

31 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Like A Hurricane (8:12)
32 - Neil Young - Love Is A Rose (2:16)
33 - Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cortez The Killer (7:20)
34 - Stills Young Band - Campaigner (3:24)
35 - Stills Young Band - Long May You Run (3:41)

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Young Gods, The - The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill ( 91 ^ 82mb)

Swiss electro-noise terrorists the Young Gods traced their origins back to 1982, when Geneva-based frontman Franz Treichler, increasingly bored with his then-current new wave band, began experimenting with a small sampler. Influenced as well by the visceral power of punk and the grand drama of classical music, he began creating abrasive guitar and drum loops, and with sampler Cesare Pizzi and percussionist Frank Bagnoud, founded the Young Gods in 1985. The trio debuted a year later with the sigle "Envoyé !" Produced by Swan Roli Mosimann, their self-titled debut LP followed in 1987, and was named Album of the Year by Melody Maker; by the time of the follow-up, 1989's L'Eau Rouge, drummer Use Heistand had replaced Bagnoud, and with the release of 1991's The Young Gods Play Kurt Weill, Pizzi was gone in favor of sampler Alain Monod. T.V. Sky followed in 1992, while 1995's Only Heaven flirted with ambient textures; a year later, the Young Gods (minus Heistand and with new drummer Bernard Trontin) returned with Heaven Deconstruction. Their ninth album, Second Nature (99), is perhaps their most techno-oriented to date, yet it still features the wide array of styles that have made them consistently appealing to underground fans. 2001 they released a live album, Noumatrouff 1997. Music for Artificial Clouds (2004) and XXY: Twenty Years 1985-2005 a best of and remixes album. A year ago, they released , the electric and entrancing “Super Ready /Fragmenté ”. The Young Gods’s new album has nothing to do with southern soul music, yet their “Knock on Wood ” has soul, and stands apart in the group’s exciting discography. The approach was psychedelic blues folk combined with electronic minimalism.

Besides introducing keyboardist Al Comet and thus stabilizing the band line-up for the next decade, Play Kurt Weill is an intriguing curiosity few other bands could easily pull off. As part of an annual Swiss musical festival celebrating specific musicians each year, the Gods were invited to perform renditions of numbers by the noted German composer, writer of theatrical musical standards from The Threepenny Opera to "September Song." The subsequent album is a revelation; while rockers from Bobby Darin to Lou Reed and on had tried their hand at the Weill songbook, the Gods embraced the avant-garde bent of Weill's music with a passion. "Prologue" reworks the sly opening narration to Threepenny Opera in the context of a rock concert, audience screams and all, and from there on in it's Weill as you've not quite heard him before, ditching solo cabaret revivalism for sample-based reinvention. Treichler sounds throughout like he's having the time of his life; on "Alabama Song," memories of the Doors' fair enough take are erased by his sinuous whisper and the band's switch between calm and noise. As for the amazing album-ender "September Song," delivered by Treichler with restrained passion over a stripped-down wash of ocean waves and ghostly samples floating in and out of the mix.





1 - Prologue (1:47)
2 - Salomon Song (4:07)
3 - Mackie Messer (4:13)
4 - Speak Low (5:13)
5 - Alabama Song (5:51)
6 - Seeräuber Jenny (5:52)
7 - Ouverture (2:50)
8 - September Song (2:47)

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Yonderboi - Shallow And Profound (00 * 99mb)

Real name Laszlo Fogarasi (1980) , Yonderboi grew up in the small, silent village of Mernye in South West Hungary, his earliest love was art. He took to drawing, painting and even sewing, desiring simply to create in whichever way he was capable. At secondary school he was enticed by the classical guitar, and began taking lessons until his interest in music led to him obtaining his first computer. In spite of the restrictions of the mono soundboard that came with it, he set about making his own musical creations, uninspired by the traditional musical education he’d been provided with. He saw music as a blank canvas with which to conjure up his own style, exercising his artistic freedom by concentrating on the emotions within

Laszlo spent his youth investigating a variety of different musical genres. Citing the Eastern European cartoon music of his childhood as his earliest influence, he soon discovered his dad’s record collection introducing seminal artists like T-Rex and John Lennon. Other influences include the unique Polish and Hungarian jazz sounds of Studio 11 and Rudolf Tomsits, the early pioneering electronic works of Herbie Hancock, The KLF, the seminal hip-hop sounds of De La Soul and The Beastie Boys, and the 90’s ‘trip-hop’ sounds of the Ninja Tune label and DJ Shadow.Taking his moniker from a character in the William Gibson novel “Neuromancer”. His mind a melting pot of musical taste, Laszlo set about making his first demo. Once complete, he sent it to Juice Records in Budapest where it made a lasting impression, ultimately leading to the release of the internationally recognised “PinkSolidism”. He graduated from High School in the summer of 1999, and moved to Budapest. He recorded the material for his album before even finding a place to live, living out of a suitcase in the building of his Hungarian record label, UGAR. The vocals and live instrumentation were recorded professionally over a mere two-day period due to money constraints.

The resulting album – ultimately pieced together on a cheap PC with free software – was astonishing. Released on the German label Mole Listening Pearls in January of 2000, “Shallow and Profound” made a lasting impression worldwide, selling 60,000 copies. With its delectable concoction of down tempo, trip-hop, lounge and 60s jazz, it was lauded by artists as reputable as The Herbaliser, Peter Kruder, Laurent Garnier, Hooverphonic, Gotan Project, and Gilles Peterson, who’s listeners made it number 9 on his “All Winners 2000” chart. It was voted number 1 in the Top 50 best Hungarian albums ever in WAN2 magazine.

Touring followed: packing up his MPC2000 XL, he set up a live band and formed The Yonderboi Quintet, featuring in many jazz and electronic festivals across Europe (Sonar, Lowlands, The Big Chill). The touring period proved intensive, and Yonderboi decided to take two years out to catch breath and work on some new material. The time he spent between albums was used wisely, experimenting with unknown territories, both in music and life. He practised his compositional skills and developed musical sketches, culminating in a collection of songs that would eventually make up his sophomore album “Splendid Isolation”. After the demo was ready he employed the help of friend and musician Tom Holkenborg (otherwise known as Junkie XL), who leant his experience and technical expertise to help give shape to Yonderboi’s creative ideas. More urban and mature than “Shallow and Profound”, “Splendid Isolation” provides the perfect musical backdrop to Laszlo’s time spent in Budapest. He cites his main influences for the album as coming from a keen interest in art-house flicks. Like a movie, “Splendid Isolation” tells a multi-layered story that climaxes in a mind-bending ending, using the cinematic methods of structure, build up and suspense.



01 - Intro (1:03)
02 - Milonga Del Mar (8:44)
03 - Chase And Chaser (3:41)
04 - Cantaloupe Island (Interlude) (1:09)*
05 - Ohne Chanteuse (3:41)
06 - No Answer From Petrograd (4:32)
07 - 100% Trevira (2:52)
08 - Pabadam (3:59)
09 - The Severance (0:23)
10 - Sinking Slowly (4:52)
11 - Body Surf (4:04)
12 - Riders On The Storm - Pink Solidism (4:19)
13 - Road Movie (6:50)
14 - Thousand Bells (4:46)
15 - Fairy Of The Lake (5:08)
16 - Another Geometry (5:13)
17 - Outro (1:19)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !