Sundaze 1522

Hello, yes it was cupfinal's night in Europe, in the UK Arsenal walked all over Aston Villa  4-0 , in Germany an initial superior Borrussia Dortmund got beaten by the Volkswagen team Wolfsburg 1-3...No happy end for the Dortmund coach Jorgen Klopp after 7 successful years. In France it seemed hardly a contest possible between the second division Auxerre and PSG, yet the French champions maneged just the one goal 1-0. Such won't happen to a team with Messi in it Barca cruised to a 3-1 win over Bilbao. They are ready to pic up the big one next week, Juventus will have a tough time against Messi and co..


Today a band that has exerted a relatively large influence on later space rock and krautrock bands.  .... N'joy

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Along with Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel (later Ashra) was one of the first bands to convert the trippier side of late-'60s psychedelia into the kosmische rock of the '70s. Most Ash Ra titles were solely the work of Manuel Göttsching, plus any other additional players who happened to be around during the recording of his ten albums. Göttsching trained in classical guitar and studied improvisational music plus electronics at school. In 1970, he formed Ash Ra Tempel with no less than Klaus Schulze (fresh from a brief stint in Tangerine Dream) and Hartmut Enke. All three founding members had previously played together as part of the short-lived group Eruption founded by Conrad Schnitzler. Prior to that Schnitzler and Schulze had worked together in Tangerine Dream.  After a self-titled album in 1971, Schulze left for a solo career; Göttsching continued on with a variety of bandmembers and guests, including Timothy Leary on 1973's Seven Up (and Schulze again, for Join Inn).

Ash Ra Tempel released its self-titled debut album in June 1971. This release is considered by critics to be a classic of the genre; Schulze temporarily departed for a solo career shortly after its release. Schwingungen (1972), Seven Up (with Timothy Leary) (1972), and Join Inn with Schulze again (1973) are all considered key works from the band. The pop-oriented 1973 album Starring Rosi was thus named because it featured lead vocals by Rosi Mueller.

Their music is widely characterized as cosmic and atmospheric. The early albums were more psychedelic-oriented and all had one lengthy track per side: one more powerful and dramatic, the other of a more atmospheric nature. Instead of writing English lyrics, since German language was not popular in rock music at the time, Ash Ra Tempel more or less decided not to have lyrics in their songs.

By 1975, Göttsching had released his first solo album (Inventions for Electric Guitar) and though Ashra returned the following year, the next two records by the "group" were Göttsching-only albums, the brilliant New Age of Earth in 1976 and Blackouts one year later. For the 1980s, most Ashra LPs were band-setting albums (with the assistance of guitarist Lutz Ulbrich and drummer Harald Grosskopf) while Göttsching solo records (like the landmark E2-E4) were, truly, solo records. He also reunited with Schulze to work on Alphaville's 1989 LP, The Breathtaking Blue.


Later, after recording the soundtrack Le Berceau de Cristal (1975; unreleased until 1993) Ash Ra Tempel shortened its name to Ashra, making a more melodic, synthesizer-based music. In 2000 the band was reunited in the line up of Manuel Gottsching and Klaus Schulze. The pair had previously worked together on Schulze's album In Blue.





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In light of the 1990s post-rock scene and the often clear links back to Krautrock of all stripes, Ash Ra Tempel's monster debut album stands as being both astonishingly prescient and just flat out good, a logical extension of the space-jam-freakout ethos into rarified realms. Featuring the original trio of Enke, Gottsching and Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel consists of only two side-long tracks, both of which are gripping examples of technical ability mixed with rock power. If more progressive music was like it, there wouldn't be as many continuing complaints about that genre as a whole. "Amboss" contains the more upfront explosions of sound, though it mixes in restraint as much as crunch. Starting with Gottsching's extended guitar notes and Schulze's cymbals, it begins with a slow, ominous build that is equally haunting, as mysterious as the cryptic artwork of temples and figures found on the inside. Quick, rumbling drums slowly fade up some minutes in, with more crashing guitar mixing in with the previous tones, creating a disorienting drone experience. The active jam then takes over the rest of the song at the point, the three going off just as they want to (Gottsching's soloing in particular is fantastic) before all coming back together for an explosive, shuddering series of climaxes. "Traummaschine," in marked contrast, is a quieter affair, with Gottsching's deep drones setting and continuing the tone throughout. Fading in bit by bit, the guitars are accompanied by equally mesmerizing keyboards from Schulze, creating something that calls to mind everything from Eno's ambient works to Lull's doom-laden soundscapes and, after more distinct guitar pluckings start to surface, Flying Saucer Attack's rural psychedelia. Halfway through, soft percussion blends with the music to create a gentle but persistent intensity, cue for a series of shifts between calmer and more active sections, but all kept more restrained than on "Amboss."

Ash Ra Tempel - Ash Ra Tempel (flac 196mb)

01 Amboss 19:40
02 Traum maschine 25:24

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Ash Ra Tempel's second album featured the first of several personnel changes, Klaus Schulze having departed for other realms and replaced as a result by Wolfgang Muller. A few guest players surfaced here and there as well, with one John L. taking the lead vocals -- another difference from the self-titled debut, which was entirely instrumental. The general principle of side-long efforts continued, though the first half was split into two related songs, "Light" and "Darkness." "Light" itself sounded halfway between the zoned-out exploration of "Traummaschine" and bluesy jamming, a weird if not totally discordant combination that still manages to sound more out there than most bands of the time. Gottsching's fried solo, in particular, is great, sending the rest of the song out to silence that leads into "Darkness." Said song initially takes a far more minimal approach that bears even more resemblance to "Traummaschine," fading out almost entirely by the third minute before a full band performance (including Uli Popp on bongos and Matthais Wehler's sudden alto sax bursts) slowly builds into a frenetic jam. John L.'s vocals become echoed screams and yelps not far off from Damo Suzuki's approach in Can, and the overall performance is a perfect slice of Krautrock insanity, sudden swirls of flanging and even more on-the-edge solos from Gottsching and Wehler sending it over the top. "Suche & Liebe" takes up the entire second side, the performers this time around concentrating on the quiet but unsettling approach, Gottsching's massive soloing kept low in the mix but not so much that it doesn't freak out listeners. The song concludes on an almost conventionally pretty band jam, something that could almost be Meddle-era Pink Floyd, only with even a more haunting, alien air thanks to the wordless vocal keening.

Ash Ra Temple - Schwingungen (flac 152mb)

Light And Darkness
01 Light: Look At Your Sun 6:34
02 Darkness: Flowers Must Die 12:22
Schwingungen
03 Suche & Liebe 19:23

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Even with the presence of special guest Timothy Leary, Seven Up sticks to its predecessor's penchant for bizarre, bluesy psychedelia on the first side while the second takes off into the deepest realms of space rock. Fans of Leary may be a bit surprised, since he's but one of the five voices sprinkled throughout the album and sounds more like a poor man's Eric Burdon than an acid visionary might on tracks like "Right Hand Lover," "Downtown," and "Power Drive." Side two consists of three drawn-out space jams that conclude with a rushing of air quite close to a vacuum cleaner. Except for the last bit, Seven Up is not quite the meeting of minds that acid and Kraut fans expected.

Ash Ra Tempel feat Timothy Leary - Seven Up  (flac 179mb)

Space (16:03)
1a Downtown
1b Power Drive
1c Right Hand Lover
1d Velvet Genes
Time (21:15)
2a Timeship
2b Neuron
2c She

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Ash Ra Tempel's fourth LP marked something of a pause, a recap, especially after the surprising Seven Up (which featured Timothy Leary as a guest). The temporary return of Klaus Schulze also greatly contributes to this feeling of summation. The album features two side-long pieces that represent literally two sides of the band, the Krautrock and space music incarnations. "Freak 'n' Roll" is a 19-minute hard-hitting jam, with Schulze bashing away behind the drums and Manuel Göttsching churning some mean guitar riffs while Harmut Enke ploughs heavy basslines. The track is actually an excerpt from a longer improvisation and begins with a fade in that throws the listener in the middle of an already heated session. Long but hardly long-winded, this track deserves a place alongside Can's "You Do Right" and Faust's "Krautrock": it has the drive, the psychedelic appeal, and the creativity of what epitomized the Krautrock style in the minds of young Englishmen and Americans for a while. The 24-minute "Jenseits" sees Schulze at the Synthi A and the organ, weaving dreamy drones and uplifting chords for Göttsching to doodle over. Enke's lines are not always as relevant as one would wish, and Rosi Mueller's soft-spoken narration seems to get in the way during the first few minutes -- in short, this is not Ash Ra Tempel at their ethereal best, but it's still a fine exercise in late-night musical dreaming that will appeal to fans of Phaedra-era Tangerine Dream while not misrepresenting that aspect of the group's work. And put together, those two pieces make a very fine introduction to the first few years of Ash Ra Tempel.

Ashra Temple - Join In  (flac  193mb)

01 Freak'n'roll 19:15
02 Jenseits 24:18

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RhoDeo 1521 Grooves

Hello, Sepp Blatter or how you can stay on forever as long as you play Santa Claus with FIFA money.... oh oh.

Today more from that American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll. Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he gained a cult following in the late 1960s following the release of his album Gris-Gris.... N'joy

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Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Dr. John's Acadian ancestry traces back to the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. He claims that his lineage took root in New Orleans sometime in the early 1800s. Growing up in the Third Ward, he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his grandfather and a number of aunts, uncles, sister and cousins who played piano. He did not take music lessons before his teens, and only endured a short stint in choir before getting kicked out. His father, the owner of an appliance store and record shop, exposed him as a young boy to prominent jazz musicians like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, who inspired his 2014 release, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch. Throughout his adolescence his father's connections enabled him access to the recording rooms of burgeoning rock artists such as Little Richard and Guitar Slim. From these exposures he advanced into clubs and onto the stage with varying local artists, most notably, Professor Longhair.

When he was about 13 or 14 years old, Rebennack met Professor Longhair, which started a period in his life that would mark rapid growth as a musician and the beginnings of his entry into professional music. He describes his initial impression of Professor Longhair with note, not only of his musical prowess, but of his style: "I was also fascinated that he was sitting out there in a turtleneck shirt with a beautiful gold chain with a watch hangin' on it, and an Army fatigue cap on his head.


Although he didn't become widely known until the 1970s, Dr. John had been active in the music industry since the late '50s, when the teenager was still known as Mac Rebennack. A formidable boogie and blues pianist with a lovable growl of a voice, his most enduring achievements fused with New Orleans R&B, rock, and Mardi Gras craziness to come up with his own brand of "voodoo" music. He's also quite accomplished and enjoyable when sticking to purely traditional forms of blues and R&B. On record, he veers between the two approaches, making for an inconsistent and frequently frustrating legacy that often makes the listener feel as if "the Night Tripper" (as he's nicknamed himself) has been underachieving.

In the late '50s, Rebennack gained prominence in the New Orleans R&B scene as a session keyboardist and guitarist, contributing to records by Professor Longhair, Frankie Ford, and Joe Tex. He also recorded some overlooked singles of his own, and by the '60s had expanded into production and arranging. After a gun accident damaged his hand in the early '60s, he gave up the guitar to concentrate exclusively on keyboards. Skirting trouble with the law and drugs, he left the increasingly unwelcome environs of New Orleans in the mid-'60s for Los Angeles, where he found session work with the help of fellow New Orleans expatriate Harold Battiste. Rebennack renamed himself Dr. John, the Night Tripper when he recorded his first album, Gris-Gris. According to legend, this was hurriedly cut with leftover studio time from a Sonny & Cher session, but it never sounded hastily conceived. In fact, its mix of New Orleans R&B with voodoo sounds and a tinge of psychedelia was downright enthralling, and may have resulted in his greatest album.

He began building an underground following with both his music and his eccentric stage presence, which found him conducting ceremonial-type events in full Mardi Gras costume. Dr. John was nothing if not eclectic, and his next few albums were granted mixed critical receptions because of their unevenness and occasional excess. They certainly had their share of admirable moments, though, and Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger helped out on The Sun, Moon & Herbs in 1971. The following year's Gumbo, produced by Jerry Wexler, proved Dr. John was a master of traditional New Orleans R&B styles, in the mold of one of his heroes, Professor Longhair. In 1973, he got his sole big hit, "In the Right Place," which was produced by Allen Toussaint, with backing by the Meters. In the same year, he also recorded with Mike Bloomfield and John Hammond, Jr. for the Triumvirate album.

The rest of the decade, unfortunately, was pretty much a waste musically. Dr. John could always count on returning to traditional styles for a good critical reception, and he did so constantly in the '80s. There were solo piano albums, sessions with Chris Barber and Jimmy Witherspoon, and In a Sentimental Mood (1989), a record of pop standards. These didn't sell all that well, though. A more important problem was that he was capable of much more than recastings of old styles and material. In fact, by this time he was usually bringing in the bacon not through his own music, but via vocals for numerous commercial jingles. It continued pretty much in the same vein throughout the '90s: New Orleans super sessions for the Bluesiana albums, another outing with Chris Barber, an album of New Orleans standards, and another album of pop standards.

In 1994, Television did at least offer some original material. At this point he began to rely more upon cover versions for the bulk of his recorded work, though his interpretive skills will always ensure that these are more interesting than most such efforts. His autobiography, Under a Hoodoo Moon, was published by St. Martin's Press in 1994, and in 1998 he resurfaced with Anutha Zone, which featured collaborations with latter-day performers including Spiritualized, Paul Weller, Supergrass, and Ocean Colour Scene. Duke Elegant followed in early 2000. Additional albums for Blue Note followed in 2001 (Creole Moon) and 2004 (N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda). Sippiana Hericane, a four-song EP celebrating his beloved hometown of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, arrived in November of 2005. Mercernary, an album of covers of songs made famous by Johnny Mercer, appeared on Blue Note in 2006. City That Care Forgot followed in 2008. The Night Tripper persona was revived for 2010's Tribal, which featured guest spots from Derek Trucks, Allen Toussaint, Donald Harrison, and the late Bobby Charles. Dr. John also contributed to French electronic artist Féloche's international hit single "Gris Gris John" the same year. He teamed up with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach to produce and record Locked Down. It was issued in the spring of 2012. Two years later, he released the third album in his tribute series, a collection of songs by and associated with Louis Armstrong entitled Ske-Dat-De-Dat: Spirit of Satch. It featured guest appearances from Bonnie Raitt, Ledisi, and the McCrary Sisters, and Blind Boys of Alabama, and appeared in August of 2014.


clearly someone leeching from dr John fears his/her cut is running to thin therefore this page has been more or less deleted...

RhoDeo 1521 Goldy Rhox 211

Hello, today the 211th post of Goldy Rhox, classic pop rock in the darklight is an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. The band took their name from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception, itself derived from a line in William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite" They were among the most controversial, influential and unique rock acts of the 1960s, mostly because of Morrison's lyrics and charismatic but unpredictable stage persona.

Morrison went to many record labels trying to land a deal. He did score one at Columbia Records but it did not pan out. On August 10, they were spotted by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman, who was present at the recommendation of Love singer Arthur Lee, whose group was with Elektra Records. After Holzman and producer Paul A. Rothchild saw two sets of the band playing at the Whisky a Go Go, they signed them to the Elektra Records label on August 18 — the start of a long and successful partnership with Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick. The band were fired from the Whisky on August 21, 1966 when Morrison added an explicit retelling and profanity-laden version of the Greek myth of Oedipus during "The End"

Signing with Elektra Records in 1966, the band released eight albums between 1967 and 1971. All but one hit the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 and went platinum or better. The 1967 release of their debut album was the first in a series of top ten albums in the United States, followed by Strange Days (1967), Waiting for the Sun (1968), The Soft Parade (1969), Morrison Hotel (1970), Absolutely Live (1970) and L.A. Woman (1971), with 20 Gold, 14 Platinum and 5 Multi-Platinum album awards in the United States alone.

Although the band's active career ended in 1973, their popularity has persisted. According to the RIAA, they have sold 33 million certified units in the US and over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling bands of all time. The group have been listed as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, which ranked them 41st on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. They were the first American band to accumulate eight consecutive gold and platinum LPs.

The coming weeks their 6 studioalbums will be posted here

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Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.

Today's mystery album is the debut studio album by today's mystery band, recorded August 24–31, 1966 at Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood.,  It was originally released in different stereo and mono mixes, and features the breakthrough single "Light My Fire", extended with an instrumental section mostly omitted on the single release, and the lengthy song "The End" with its Oedipal spoken word section. Seldom has a debut album produced such a forceful new assertive and yet commercial sound that became the basis for the bands highly successful career.

The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in California over six days, with producer Paul A. Rothchild and audio engineer Bruce Botnick. A four-track tape machine was used for recording using mostly three tracks, bass and drums on one, guitar and organ on another with Jim Morrison's voice on the third. The fourth track was used for overdubbing. The album was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in California over six days, with producer Paul A. Rothchild and audio engineer Bruce Botnick. A four-track tape machine was used for recording using mostly three tracks, bass and drums on one, guitar and organ on another with Jim Morrison's voice on the third. The fourth track was used for overdubbing.

The album has become one of the most influential albums in the progression of psychedelic rock, and remains one of the most prolific and popular albums in all of popular music. The original album has sold 20 million copies and has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and "Light My Fire" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame under the category Rock (track). Today and the coming weeks from the Perception Boxset remasters and extended, it's up for grabs here...N'Joy


Goldy Rhox 211   (flac 449mb)

Goldy Rhox 211    (ogg 132mb)


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RhoDeo 1521 Aetix

Hello,

Today, although a product of the New York punk scene, at heart Mink DeVille were a soul band with roots in R&B, the blues, and even Cajun music. The group was a showcase for frontman Willy DeVille (born William Boray in 1953), a native New Yorker who in 1971 traveled to London to form a band; unable to find compatible musicians, he worked as a solo performer before returning to the U.S. and settling in San Francisco, where he founded the first incarnation of Mink DeVille in 1974 with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. After playing in Bay Area leather bars and lounges under a variety of names including Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights, the trio read a music magazine feature spotlighting the Ramones; duly inspired, Mink DeVille relocated to New York, where they recruited guitarist Louie X. Erlanger. After debuting with three tracks on the Live at CBGB's compilation, the band entered the studio with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche and surfaced in 1977 with Cabretta .... N'Joy

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As a teenager, DeVille played with friends from Stamford in a blues band called Billy & the Kids, and later in another band called The Immaculate Conception. At age 17, he married Susan Berle, also known as Toots, and they had a son named Sean in 1970. DeVille struck out in 1971 for London in search of like-minded musicians ("obvious American with my Pompadour hair"), but was unsuccessful finding them; he returned to New York City after a two-year absence.

Said DeVille: "I decided to go to San Francisco; there was nothing really happening in New York. People were shooting speed. I mean, it was real Night of the Living Dead. So I bought a truck and headed out west. I traveled all around the country for a couple of years, looking for musicians who had heart, instead of playing 20-minute guitar solos, which is pure ego." By 1974 Willy DeVille (under the name Billy Borsay) was singing in a band with drummer Thomas R. "Manfred" Allen, Jr., bassist Rubén Sigüenza, guitarist Robert McKenzie (a.k.a. Fast Floyd), and Ritch Colbert on keyboards The band called themselves Billy de Sade and the Marquis, but changed the name to Mink DeVille the year after; at the same time lead singer Borsay adapted the name Willy DeVille. The same year, DeVille persuaded the band members to try their luck in New York City after spotting an ad in The Village Voice inviting bands to audition. Guitarist Fast Floyd and keyboard player Ritch Colbert stayed behind in San Francisco, and after arriving in New York, the band hired guitarist Louis X. Erlanger, whose blues sensibilities helped shape the Mink DeVille's sound.

During three years, from 1975 to 1977, Mink DeVille was one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nightclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s. Their sound from this period is witnessed by Live at CBGB's, a 1976 compilation album of bands that played CBGB and for which the band contributed three songs.

In December 1976, Ben Edmonds, an A&R man for Capitol Records signed the band to a contract with Capitol Records after spotting them at CBGB. Edmonds paired Mink DeVille with producer Jack Nitzsche who had apprenticed under Phil Spector and helped shape the Wall of Sound production technique. Assisted by saxophonist Steve Douglas and a cappella singers the Immortals they recorded the band's debut album Cabretta in January 1976. Cabretta, a multifaceted album of soul, R&B, rock, and blues recordings, its lead single "Spanish Stroll" reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, the only Willy DeVille recording to ever hit the charts in the United Kingdom.

The band's follow-up album, Return to Magenta (1978), continued in the same vein as Cabretta, except that Willy DeVille and producers Nitzsche and Steve Douglas employed string arrangements on several songs. On this album Dr. John played keyboards and, once again, Douglas played saxophone. To promote the album, Mink DeVille toured the United States in 1978 with Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe.

In 1979, Willy DeVille took his band in a new direction and recorded an album in Paris called Le Chat Bleu. For the album, DeVille wrote several songs with Doc Pomus who had previously seen the band play in New York City. DeVille hired Jean Claude Petit to supervise string arrangements, and he dismissed the members of the band except for guitarist Louis X. Erlanger in favor of new musicians: Accordionist Kenny Margolis, Jerry Scheff (bass), Ron Tutt (drums) and, once again, Steve Douglas (saxophone), who also served as producer. Capitol Records was not happy with Le Chat Bleu, believing that unsophisticated American audiences were incapable of listening to songs with accordions and lavish string arrangements; consequently they initially released the album only in Europe, in 1980. However, the album sold impressively in America as an import and Capitol finally released it in the United States later the same year. Ironically, Rolling Stone yearly critic’s poll ranked Le Chat Bleu the fifth best album of 1980, and music historian Glenn A. Baker declared it the tenth best rock album of all time.

By this time no members of the original Mink DeVille save Willy DeVille remained in the band, but DeVille continued recording and touring under the name Mink DeVille. He then recorded two albums for Atlantic Records, 1981's Coup de Grâce—on which Jack Nitzsche returned as producer—and 1983's Where Angels Fear to Tread. Both sold well in Europe but fared less well in the United States. Coup de Grâce was DeVille's last album ever to enter the Billboard 200, peaking at number 161. Mink DeVille's last album, Sportin' Life, was recorded for Polydor in 1985. For this album, DeVille penned two more songs with Doc Pomus. The album was recorded at the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and DeVille and Duncan Cameron producing. The album was a hit in some European countries, entering the top 20 in Switzerland and Sweden. In 1986, DeVille filed for bankruptcy as part of what Billboard called "a major restructuring of his career". He fired his personal manager, Michael Barnett, and announced that he would "put Mink DeVille to bed" and start a solo career. Consequently, Mink DeVille played its last concert on February 20, 1986 in New York City.

Although Willy DeVille had been recording and touring for ten years under the name Mink DeVille, no members of his original band had recorded or toured with him since 1980's Le Chat Bleu. Beginning in 1987 with the album Miracle, DeVille began recording and touring under his own name. He told an interviewer, "Ten years with the band was enough for Mink DeVille; everyone was calling me 'Mink.' I thought it was about time to get the name straight." DeVille recorded Miracle in London with Mark Knopfler serving as his sideman and producer. He said, "It was Mark (Knopfler’s) wife Lourdes who came up with the idea (to record Miracle). She said to him that you don't sing like Willy and he doesn't play guitar like you, but you really like his stuff so why don't you do an album together?"

"Storybook Love", a song from Miracle and the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride, was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987; DeVille performed the song at that year's Academy Awards telecast. In 1988, DeVille relocated from New York to New Orleans, where he found a spiritual home. "I was stunned", he said in a 1993 interview. "I had the feeling that I was going back home. It was very strange... I live in the French Quarter, two streets away from Bourbon Street; at night, when I go to bed, I hear the boogie that comes from the streets, and in the morning, when I wake up, I hear the blues." In 1990, DeVille made Victory Mixture, a tribute album of classic New Orleans soul and R&B which he recorded with some of the songs' original composers. Victory Mixture was recorded for a small independent label, Orleans Records, which licensed it to Sky Ranch in France. "It sold over 100,000 units in Europe very quickly.

In 1992, DeVille recorded Backstreets of Desire, the first of four albums he would record in Los Angeles with producer John Philip Shenale. Although DeVille complained about having to record in Los Angeles, recording in that city put him in touch with many talented Latino musicians who helped shape his distinctive Spanish-Americana sound. On Backstreets he was joined by David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Efrain Toro, Mariachi los Camperos, and Jimmy Zavala, as well as New Orleans musicians Dr. John and Zachary Richard and L.A. session musicians Jeff Baxter, Freebo, Jim Gilstrap, and Brian Ray. The album included a novel mariachi version of the Jimi Hendrix standard “Hey Joe” that was a hit in Europe, rising to number one in Spain and France.

In 1984, DeVille married his second wife, Lisa Leggett,[44] who proved to be an astute business manager. On the strength of his success touring and selling albums in Europe, they bought a horse farm, Casa de Sueños, in Picayune, Mississippi and began living there as well as at their apartment and studio in the French Quarter of New Orleans. DeVille told an interviewer in 1996: "I finally got the plantation... I just bought this house and 11 acres (45,000 m2). It looks a little bit like Graceland... I got into horses since my wife is into them. We're raising Spanish and Portuguese bullfighting horses. The bloodline is 2000 years old. She's into breeding, but I just love riding. I've also got five dogs, four cats and a partridge in a pear tree."

DeVille did not have a recording contract with an American label in the mid-1990s. His next two albums, Willy DeVille Live (1993) and Big Easy Fantasy (1995), were recorded for Fnac Music, a French label. Willy DeVille Live was a number one record in Spain. In 1995, he returned to Los Angeles to record Loup Garou, again with producer John Philip Shenale. Musician said about the album: "Loup Garou is subtle in nuance but staggering in scope, it connects the dots between all of the artist's sacrosanct influences, often within the framework of a single song... All of it is on the money, performed from the heart..The cover of Loup Garou showed DeVille in turn of the 20th century New Orleans garb posing on a street corner in New Orleans' French Quarter. It included voodoo chants and a song subtitled "Vampire's Lullaby". The singer had completely immersed himself in New Orleans culture.

Before moving to the Southwest in 2000, DeVille recorded Horse of a Different Color in Memphis. The 1999 album, produced by Jim Dickinson, includes a chain-gang song, a cover of Fred McDowell's "Going over the Hill," and a cover of Andre Williams's "Bacon Fat". Allmusic said about the album, "Simply put, no one has this range or depth in interpreting not only styles, but also the poetics of virtually any set of lyrics. DeVille makes everything he sings believable. 'Horse of a Different Color' is the most consistent and brilliant recording of Willy DeVille's long career."[48] Horse of a Different Color was the first Willy DeVille album since 1987's Miracle to be released simultaneously in Europe and the United States. His previous five albums had been released first in Europe and picked up later, if they were picked up at all, by American record labels.

By 2000, DeVille had cured his two-decades-long addiction to heroin.[49] He relocated to Cerrillos Hills, New Mexico, where he produced and played on an album, Blue Love Monkey, with Rick Nafey, a friend from his youth in Connecticut In New Mexico, DeVille's wife Lisa committed suicide by hanging; DeVille discovered her body. "I got in a car accident because I got crazy. I think I was somewhat taunting death because somebody who I loved very much died.I broke my arm in three places and my knee went into the dash board... It was bone to bone... I was on crutches and on a cane for about three years and I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything. I was fucked up. I was ready for the scrapheap."

DeVille's stay in the Southwest awakened his interest in his Native American heritage. On the cover of his next album, 2002's Acoustic Trio Live in Berlin, recorded to celebrate his 25 years' of performing, DeVille wore long hair. He began wearing Native American clothing and jewelry on stage. In 2004, DeVille returned to Los Angeles to record Crow Jane Alley, his third album with producer John Philip Shenale. The album continued his explorations of his Spanish-Americana sound and featured many prominent Los Angeles Latino musicians. On the cover, DeVille wore a Native American headdress and breastplate. Richard Marcus said of the album, "Crow Jane Alley is the work of an artist who after thirty plus years in the business still has the ability to surprise and delight his listeners.

After living for 15 years in New Orleans and the Southwest, DeVille returned to New York City in 2003,[55] where he took up residence with Nina Lagerwall, his third wife. He continued touring Europe, usually playing music festivals in the summer. On Mardi Gras of 2008, Pistola, DeVille's sixteenth album, was released. Independent Music said about the album: "(Willy DeVille) has never been more artistically potent than on Pistola, confronting the demons of his past with an impressive lyrical honesty and unexpectedly diverse musical imagination."

In February 2009, DeVille was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, and in May of that year doctors discovered pancreatic cancer in DeVille in the course of his Hepatitis C treatment. He died in New York City in the late hours of August 6, 2009, three weeks shy of his 59th birthday.

epitath

"His catalog is more diverse than virtually any other modern performer. The genre span of the songs he's written is staggering. From early rock and rhythm and blues styles, to Delta-styled blues, from Cajun music to New Orleans second line, from Latin-tinged folk to punky salseros, to elegant orchestral ballads—few people could write a love song like DeVille. He was the embodiment of rock and roll's romance, its theater, its style, its drama, camp, and danger."


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Cabretta was produced by Jack Nitzsche, who would help shape Mink DeVille's sound and collaborate with lead singer and composer Willy DeVille for many years to come. Joining the band on saxophone was Steve Douglas, who, like Nitzsche, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and who would also play on many Mink DeVille albums. Like all truly great rock and roll, the songs mix fantasy and longing... "Venus of Avenue D" and "Spanish Stroll" find their romance in the street, and both walk that line between lust and longing, in the feeling of getting turned on by somebody. Willy DeVille’s character is tough as nails on the outside, but the hard surface doesn’t run deep enough to cover the heart that he wears on his sleeve.

The album gets its name from a type of leather jacket (a cabretta leather jacket was worn by Ben Edmonds, the Capitol Records A&R man who signed Mink DeVille in 1976). Willy DeVille said the Cabretta leather was like his band's music, tough but tender. Energetic, no-holds-barred, smoking rock with R&B roots.

Mink DeVille - Cabretta  (flac 211mb)

01 Venus Of Avenue D 4:57
02 Little Girl 4:19
03 One Way Street 2:50
04 Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl 3:44
05 Gunslinger 2:09
06 Can't Do Without It 3:15
07 Cadillac Walk 3:14
08 Spanish Stroll 3:38
09 She's So Tough 2:30
10 Party Girls 4:30

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The follow-up to Mink DeVille's critically praised debut arrived just a year afterward and pretty much covers the same shadowy back alleys as its predecessor. At this early stage, Willy DeVille was still rocking out on Moon Martin's "Rolene," his own R&B chugger "Soul Twist," the Bo Diddley driven "Steady Drivin' Man" and the too brief set closer "Confidence to Kill," the latter ripping off as much greasy punk attitude as anything in his catalog, all in less than two minutes. But it's the soaring ballads and retro doo wop infused urban slow dance gems that make this sleeper a keeper. It takes nerve to open an album with the ominous heartbeat of "Guardian Angel" with its Righteous Brothers vibe enhanced by strings and a brooding Phil Spector "Be My Baby" dramatic, thumping drum pattern. Yet it perfectly foreshadows and adjusts the lights for Willy and the boys' N.Y.C./New Jersey street savvy pop/rock. Producer Jack Nitzsche, returning from the first album, was the perfect foil for the band, keeping the sound lean, mean, raw when necessary, and colored in shades of well, magenta. The legendary Doc Pomus, a guy who knew how important it was to match a good tune with a great singer, writes short but sweet liner notes that anticipate his co-writing contributions to the following album, 1980's Le Chat Bleu. Frontman DeVille is a natural singer as adept at grinding out the rockers as delving into the emotionally burning slow songs such as "I Broke That Promise" that would ultimately define his persona. He's clearly a man out of time, more comfortable with the '50s than the decades after, but never self-consciously retro. The album's only Nitzsche co-write is "Just Your Friends." It's a churning, charming inner city lament with a cascading melody that makes it a lost gem; one of those hidden tracks that never makes it on a greatest-hits collection but helps define this set. The ten tunes are over in 32 minutes but there isn't a wasted note or tossed off track, which makes Return to Magenta (the title is oddly absent from the cover) a somewhat difficult to find yet essential addition to any Willy DeVille collection.

Mink DeVille - Return To Magenta  (flac 191mb)

01 Guardian Angel 3:19
02 Soul Twist 2:32
03 "A" Train Lad 3:29
04 Rolene 3:51
05 Desperate Days 2:49
06 Just Your Friends 4:11
07 Steady Drivin' Man 3:40
08 Easy Slider 3:53
09 I Broke That Promise 3:03
10 Confidence To Kill 1:53

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After the critical acclaim of their self-titled debut and Return to Magenta in 1977 and 1978, respectively, Willy DeVille and his band took another look at the sassy, street-tough rock & roll they'd dished up and took the first step toward the swinging Spanish soul the band's subsequent albums would strive for and the crooning R&B heartbreaker DeVille himself would become as a solo artist. Le Chat Bleu is angel-headed hipster rock. The Doc Pomus influence on the opening track, "This Must Be the Night," with its cascading harmonies and 1950s girl group melodies, is a doo wop fantasy for the punk age. That influence was more than that as Pomus and Willy DeVille co-wrote three songs together for this stellar effort. Far more reverent than the Ramones and nowhere near Robert Gordon's stilted revivalism, Mink DeVille could sing and play rock & roll sweetly and razor sharp, kind of like a lollipop on the edge of a dagger. The first of the DeVille/Pomus soul ballads is included here. "That World Outside," with producer Steve Douglas' lilting tenor saxophone that twists itself around each line and breezes through the chorus, is pure Pomus, with DeVille carrying a vocal he'd never attempted before. This was the beginning of something for the band, and the end of something else. Piss and vinegar were not enough to fuel the band's muse any longer -- it also took polish, sensitivity, and a deep commitment to subtlety and drama, and this ballad contains them in spades. The other two, "You Just Keep Holdin' On" and "Just to Walk That Little Girl Home," burn as brightly. Of the rockers, "Savoir Faire" and "Lipstick Traces" contain the wooly garage stomp of the earlier records and keep their switchblade honesty and punky edge. Contrary to popular belief, this album is not the sound of a band losing its innocence as much as it is the sound of a rock & roll band finding its identity.

Mink Deville - Le Chat Bleu (flac 440mb)

01 This Must Be The Night 2:40
02 Savoir Faire 3:08
03 That World Outside 2:59
04 Slow Drain 3:28
05 You Just Keep Holding On 2:47
06 Lipstick Traces 2:49
07 Just To Walk That Little Girl Home 3:52
08 Turn You Every Way But Loose 3:35
09 Bad Boy 2:47
10 Heaven Stood Still 2:52
bonus
11 Turn You Every Way But Loose 3:39
12 Savoir Faire 3:05
13 Slow Drain 5:03
14 This Must Be The Night 2:59
15 Bad Boy 3:28
16 Lipstick Traces 4:33
17 Just To Walk That Little Girl Home 4:46
18 Heaven Stood Still 3:40
19 Save The Last Dance For Me 4:44
20 Interview 6;01

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RhoDeo 1521 Re-Up 17

Hello,


Storage maybe dirt cheap these days -compared to 5 years ago, but the hosts are much more money orientated and look at turnover and notice that keeping data longer than 1 month isn't making them money.

Thus the coming months i'm making an effort to re-up, it will satisfy a small number of people which means its likely the update will  expire relativly quickly again as its interest that keeps it live. Nevertheless here's your chance ... asks for re-up in the comments section prefarbly at the page where the expired link resides....requests are satisfied on a first come first go basis. As my back up ogg hard disk is nonresponsive currently, i most likely will post a flac instead~for the the pre medio 2011 posts~ but i would think that is not really a problem...updates will be posted here and yes sign a name to your request and please do it from the page where the link died!

You can still put in your request and should i've missed your first request please remind me


More new updates here

3x Seefeel Back in Flac (Polyfusia, Succour, (Ch-Vox) +Starethrough)

2x Go-Go's Back in Flac (Beauty and the Beat, Return To the Valley of the Go-Go's 2 rest is still live )


Leftfield, Jedi Knights Theory of Everything Now in  Flac (Final, New School Science, Theory of Everything)

and then  a day later (7,5 years ago)

Reload, Global Communication NOW in Flac
( A Collection Of Short Stories, 76 14)


3x Sonic Youth  Back in Flac (Sonic Youth, Confusion Is Sex (Plus Kill Yr. Idols), Bad Moon Rising)

RhoDeo 1521 Return of the Jedi 1

Hello, well Rosberg won the grand Prix of Monaco today, without much stress from Hamilton, he had to follow Vettel 's Ferrari after a silly pitstop that had him give up the lead. Man of the day was Verstappen who would have scored good points but then it wasn't his day, a pitstop that wasted 30 seconds and a clever frenchman maneged to block Verstappen advancing in a much faster car and in the end lift him into the wall, looked like a nasty move to me but Verstappen got the blame, pity I'd say Grosjean has made another fiend on the track...After his phenomenal timetrial yesterday, Contador kept everyone at bay in today's mountain stage in the Giro, he clearly is superior to the competition in Italy.


This week, Return of the Jedi !


At first, the idea seems bizarre, even ridiculous. Star Wars, a movie best known for its vistas of alien worlds and epic battles. Well, unless you have the cold heart of a Sith, Star Wars did indeed translate well from the silver screen to radio, thank you very much. Yes, Star Wars' visual effects are a big part of the magic of the saga, but the heart and soul of George Lucas' galaxy far, far away are the characters and the storyline. And while the movie is satisfying on its own, the radio dramatization written by the late Brian Daley takes us beyond the movie....beyond the screenplay...and even beyond the novelization.

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NPR's plans for a Return of the Jedi radio serial were put on hold when federal funding for NPR was dramatically reduced. It was not until 1996 that a six-part adaptation of Return of the Jedi was made by Highbridge Audio, the company that had released the first two series on tape and CD.

Like the preceding series, Return of the Jedi expanded its story by incorporating new scenes, such as Luke Skywalker's construction of a new lightsaber.

Scriptwriter Brian Daley died shortly after recording concluded; "additional material" was contributed by John Whitman, who introduced changes required for continuity with the now-planned prequels, as well as changes identified by the director and cast.



The episodes are titled:
"Tatooine Haunts"
"Fast Friends"
"Prophecies And Destinies"
"Pattern And Web"
"So Turns A Galaxy, So Turns A Wheel"
"Blood Of A Jedi"

Cast

The adaptation used many of the original radio cast, though Joshua Fardon took over as Luke and Arye Gross replaced Billy Dee Williams as Lando. Ed Begley, Jr. was the voice of Boba Fett and Edward Asner, speaking only in Huttese, voiced Jabba the Hutt. The only actor who starred in all the feature films as well as the radio dramas was Anthony Daniels.

Joshua Fardon as Luke Skywalker
Perry King as Han Solo
Ann Sachs as Princess Leia Organa
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO
Bernard Behrens as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Arye Gross as Lando Calrissian
Edward Asner as Jabba The Hutt
Paul Hecht as The Emperor
John Lithgow as Yoda
Brock Peters as Lord Darth Vader
Ed Begley, Jr. as Boba Fett
Samantha Bennett as Arica
David Birney as Anakin Skywalker
Peter Dennis as Moff Jerjerrod
David Dukes as Bib Fortuna
Peter Michael Goetz as General Madine
Ian Gomez as Salacious Crumb
Martin Jarvis as Barada
Jon Matthews as Wedge
Natalija Nogulich as Mon Mothma
Mark Adair Rios as Admiral Ackbar
Yeardley Smith as 9D9
Tom Virtue as Major Derlin
Ken Hiller as Narrator


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The Return Of The Jedi 301 Tatooine Haunts (mp3  30mb)

301 Tatooine Haunts  32:23


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previously

The Empire Strikes Back 01 Freedom's Winter (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 02 The Coming Storm (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 03 A Question Of Survival (mp3  23mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 04 Fire And Ice (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 05 Millennium Falcon Pursuit (mp3  24mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 06 Way Of The Jedi (mp3  25mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 07 New Allies (mp3  25mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 08 Dark Lord's Fury (mp3  23mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 09 Gambler's Choice (mp3  23mb)
The Empire Strikes Back 10 Clash Of Lightsabres (mp3  25mb)

A New Hope 101 A Wind to Shake the Stars (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 102 Points of Origin (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 103 Black Knight, White Princess (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 104 While Giants Mark Time (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 105 Jedi That Was Jedi To Be (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 106 The Millenium Falcon Deal (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 107 The Han Solo Solution (mp3 25mb)
A New Hope 108 Death Star's Transit (mp3 26mb)
A New Hope 109 Rogues, Rebels And Robots (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 110 The Luke Skywalker Initiative (mp3  26mb)
A New Hope 111 The Jedi Nexus (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 112 The Case For Rebellion (mp3  25mb)
A New Hope 113 Force And Counter Force (mp3  25mb)

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Sundaze 1521

Hello, yes it was Eurovision songcontest night and the trofee wasn't won by Russia that led halfway that would be a great snub from the people to the politicians that wage economic war against Russia. The price went to Sweden, good total package Heroes was not just a song it had a great lightshow too , there were many great lightshows. For a long time it was a fairley close 3 horse race with Italy in the mix. Excellent fouth was Belgium with Loïc Nottet - Rhythm Inside, a selfpenned song by the 19 year old scored several 12 pointers, he's got a great career ahead of him. On the losing end were the big European three Germany, France and England that scored 9 points-together....Monaco Grandprix this weekend and Hamilton won the qualification before Rosberg and Vettel could well be the result tomorrow but its Monaco and accidents will happen...


Today a Canadian electronic music project, headed by Rhys Fulber, profing that there's more besides ,Front Line Assembly and Delerium   .... N'joy

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Conjure One is a Canadian electronic music project, headed by Rhys Fulber, better known as a member of Front Line Assembly and Delerium.Fulber left Front Line Assembly in early 1997, in pursuit of a solo career. Soon after, a debut album was announced, though Fulber's work as a producer and remixer eventually pushed its release to September 2002.

The self-titled album was a fusion of the electronic characteristics of Fulber's previous work -- keyboard-based, with rhythmic dance beats—and the influences of Middle Eastern music, which inspired ambient melodies more reminiscent of Delerium. A number of songs were more pop-oriented and featured guest vocalists, primarily Poe and Chemda, the latter singing entirely in Arabic. Sinéad O'Connor and Jeff Martin of The Tea Party were also featured.

After returning to Front Line Assembly and Delerium, in 2005 Fulber released a second album entitled Extraordinary Ways. This album utilized much more contemporary sounds, including much greater prominence given to guitars and trip hop-like beats. Vocalists included Tiff Lacey, Poe (credited as "Jane"), Chemda, Joanna Stevens, and even Fulber himself (covering a song by the punk band Buzzcocks).

In 2007, Germany's biggest selling female pop star of the 80s Sandra Cretu covered "Sleep" as a bonus track on her single "The Way I Am". Fulber left Front Line Assembly in early 1997, in pursuit of a solo career. Soon after, a debut album was announced, though Fulber's work as a producer and remixer eventually pushed its release to September 2002.

The self-titled album was a fusion of the electronic characteristics of Fulber's previous work -- keyboard-based, with rhythmic dance beats—and the influences of Middle Eastern music, which inspired ambient melodies more reminiscent of Delerium. A number of songs were more pop-oriented and featured guest vocalists, primarily Poe and Chemda, the latter singing entirely in Arabic. Sinéad O'Connor and Jeff Martin of The Tea Party were also featured.

After returning to Front Line Assembly and Delerium, in 2005 Fulber released a second album entitled Extraordinary Ways. This album utilized much more contemporary sounds, including much greater prominence given to guitars and trip hop-like beats. Vocalists included Tiff Lacey, Poe (credited as "Jane"), Chemda, Joanna Stevens, and even Fulber himself (covering a song by the punk band Buzzcocks).

Exilarch is the latest studio album released under his alias Conjure One, after five years since the previous effort. The album was initially released as a worldwide digital download on October 19, 2010, while the physical release was made available in the US on November 9, 2010.  There's a new album in the pipeline , Holoscenic, to be released this year.

The album Reasons to Disturb is attributed to Conjure One, but Fulber has denied involvement in its production. Although it contains a few newer Conjure One songs and remixes, the songs are actually renamed versions of songs by Poe, Balligomingo, and Fauxliage, among others.

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Rhys Fulber had already proven his skills in ambient dance with Delerium. On Conjure One, he develops his own ideas further, applying a wonderful grasp of sounds from the Mediterranean and Middle East. Fulber traveled the world to put together this breathtaking work, which was recorded in Amsterdam, Vancouver, London, and Los Angeles. Given his busy production schedule, it's no surprise that this took three years to finish. The result is satisfying to say the least, as Conjure One is nothing short of sweeping ambient dance-pop. Like Sarah McLachlan's contribution to Delerium's "Silence," the guest vocalists here enhance Fulber's already powerful songwriting. Most magnificent are Sinéad O'Connor ("Tears From the Moon"), Poe ("Center of the Sun"), and Marie Claire D'Ubaldo ("Manic Star"). With other collaborations from Billy Steinberg and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, this ethereal solo debut (if you can call it a solo effort) is another big step forward for Fulber, as well as culturally diverse pop. A limited-edition version comes with a second disc of remixes.

Conjure One  ‎–  Conjure One (flac 440mb)

01 Damascus 2:02
02 Center Of The Sun 5:00
03 Tears From The Moon 4:17
04 Tidal Pool 6:50
05 Manic Star 5:23
06 Redemption 6:59
07 Years 6:21
08 Make A Wish 4:32
09 Pandora 5:02
10 Sleep 5:00  besides
11 Premonition (Reprise) 3:15

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Conjure One  ‎–  Bonus Disc (flac 523mb)

01 Tears From The Moon (Hybrid's Twisted On The Terrace Mix) 9:51
02 Redemption (Max Graham's Dead Sea Mix) 11:14
03 Sleep (Ian Van Dahl Mix) 8:06
04 Center Of The Sun (Junkie XL Remix) 9:40
05 Tears From The Moon (DJ Tiësto's In Search Of Sunrise Remix) 8:13
06 Sleep (Solar Stone's "Afterhours" Mix) 6:52
07 Center Of The Sun (Solarstone's Chilled Out Remix) 9:58

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Three years after an impressive debut, Rhys Fulber shows his solo project wasn't a one-shot deal nor a lucky stab at reinvention. Extraordinary Ways is similar to Conjure One, in that it's lush and majestic ambient pop. The difference this time around is more in the recording process and Fulber's inspirations. With Conjure One, Fulber traveled the world to record while applying Middle Eastern influences. For Extraordinary Ways, he wrote songs only in Los Angeles and tones down the global ambitions. He again assembles a roster of powerful vocalists with whom he can't go wrong: Jane, Chemda, Tiff Lacey, and Joanna Stevens. Fulber even contributes vocals himself, on an unexpected cover of the Buzzcocks' "I Believe." It's a little out of place, but still interesting. Toward the end, the impact drops down a notch, and one wishes the vocalists had some better melodies with which to work. Nonetheless, this is an engaging and spiritual listen.

Conjure One - Extraordinary Ways  (flac 449mb)

01 Endless Dream 4:30
02 Face The Music 4:35
03 Pilgrimage 6:48
04 One Word 4:40
05 I Believe 6:07
06 Beyond Being 7:07
07 Extraordinary Way 4:40
08 Dying Light 6:45
09 Forever Lost 4:46
10 Into The Escape 4:15
bonus
11 Extraordinary Way (Antillas Mix) 7:46
12 Extraordinary Way (Low End Specialists mix) 9:05

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For five years, Conjure One has sat quietly. The writing and recording process neither hurried nor urgent. Now, they have returned with the exquisite album Exilarch. Ten stand out tracks selected and put together for the listener's delight. After the last album Extraordinary Ways, there were many fans who were quite skeptical that this album wouldn't turn into another overly commercial release as well. Fortunately, it would appear that the fears were unfounded and this is the album that should have been made five years ago.

Exilarch, with its title referring to the Jewish leaders of the Babylonian Exile, is a nomadic album that travels between light and dark, meticulously incorporating electronic beats, lush textures and haunting vocals. By fusing organic instrumentations of the ancient east with synthetic electronics of the modern west, it presents a strong example of Conjure One's signature style.

From the opening track Like Ice, which features the stunning vocals of Jaren Cerf (who has worked with the likes of Dash Berlin, Serge Devant and Armin Van Buuren). It is plainly obvious that this is going to be an amazing album. The album moves back towards the bands roots of heavy synth with a mixture of gothic and middle eastern influence. Following is the second track Places Like That Don't Exist. A instrumental track that seems almost of throw back from producer Rhys Fulber's days in Delerium and Front Line Assembly. The track is masterfully put together. The constant reminder of electronica with the softer melody over the top. It is quite a difficult piece to describe but certainly well worth the time to listen to. On the track Zephyr, Jaren Cerf returns providing her remarkable amount of talent to the song. As the majestic strains of music meet with Cerf's voice, the entire album lights up brightly and sounds out beautifully. It's dark and light all at once with an uplifting sensation. A track that has to be heard to be believed.


Nargis reminds the listener of the middle eastern influences that Conjure One is well known for. Add to that the beautiful singing voice of Azam Ali and it's a stand out track. The feel of the traditional music of the East meeting the electronic movement of the West and combining in a stunning way to leave the listener enthralled. Going forwards is the third collaboration with Jaren Cerf on the album highlight The Distance. If you buy this album for no other reason, it should be for this song alone. The song is light and airy. It's almost ethereal in it's beauty and simplicity. The track is stunning. There is no other way to describe it. The album as a whole is a stand out but this track... it is THE highlight of the album. Popping up on the emotive track is Leah Randi who has previously worked with Delerium and Front Line Assembly. The track is I Dream in Colour and it's breath taking. When coupled with the following track Existential Exile, also featuring Randi, the effect is nothing short of amazing. It's a tribute to the fact that Conjure One has now found it's own path and is no longer following down the path the Fulber previously walked with Delerium. Closing the album is the last instrumental track Oligarch which is breathtaking in it's own right. It's got the sweeping strings, electronic beats and, again, middle eastern influence. The track is a phenomenon. It's honestly a shame that there are nine other tracks to get through before reaching this one.

For those who have thought that Conjure One was an attempt to cash in on his previous fame with Front Line Assembly and Delerium, this album has certainly proven them wrong. This album has the mood of Semantic Spaces, the electronics of Civilization and the darkness of Karma. Exilarch is not a poor man's Delerium. This is Conjure One, standing proudly on it's own next to Fulber's previous works.

Conjure One - Exilarch  (flac  449mb)

01 Like Ice 6:04
02 Places That Don't Exist 6:02
03 Zephyr 4:58
04 Nargis 5:59
05 Nomadic Code 8:50
06 The Distance 3:55
07 I Dream In Colour 6:33
08 Existential Exile 5:51
09 Run For Cover 6:25
10 Oligarch 5:10

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RhoDeo 1520 Grooves

Hello,

Today an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll. Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he gained a cult following in the late 1960s following the release of his album Gris-Gris.... N'joy

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Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Dr. John's Acadian ancestry traces back to the imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine. He claims that his lineage took root in New Orleans sometime in the early 1800s. Growing up in the Third Ward, he found early musical inspiration in the minstrel tunes sung by his grandfather and a number of aunts, uncles, sister and cousins who played piano. He did not take music lessons before his teens, and only endured a short stint in choir before getting kicked out. His father, the owner of an appliance store and record shop, exposed him as a young boy to prominent jazz musicians like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, who inspired his 2014 release, Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch. Throughout his adolescence his father's connections enabled him access to the recording rooms of burgeoning rock artists such as Little Richard and Guitar Slim. From these exposures he advanced into clubs and onto the stage with varying local artists, most notably, Professor Longhair.

When he was about 13 or 14 years old, Rebennack met Professor Longhair, which started a period in his life that would mark rapid growth as a musician and the beginnings of his entry into professional music. He describes his initial impression of Professor Longhair with note, not only of his musical prowess, but of his style: "I was also fascinated that he was sitting out there in a turtleneck shirt with a beautiful gold chain with a watch hangin' on it, and an Army fatigue cap on his head.

Although he didn't become widely known until the 1970s, Dr. John had been active in the music industry since the late '50s, when the teenager was still known as Mac Rebennack. A formidable boogie and blues pianist with a lovable growl of a voice, his most enduring achievements fused with New Orleans R&B, rock, and Mardi Gras craziness to come up with his own brand of "voodoo" music. He's also quite accomplished and enjoyable when sticking to purely traditional forms of blues and R&B. On record, he veers between the two approaches, making for an inconsistent and frequently frustrating legacy that often makes the listener feel as if "the Night Tripper" (as he's nicknamed himself) has been underachieving.

In the late '50s, Rebennack gained prominence in the New Orleans R&B scene as a session keyboardist and guitarist, contributing to records by Professor Longhair, Frankie Ford, and Joe Tex. He also recorded some overlooked singles of his own, and by the '60s had expanded into production and arranging. After a gun accident damaged his hand in the early '60s, he gave up the guitar to concentrate exclusively on keyboards. Skirting trouble with the law and drugs, he left the increasingly unwelcome environs of New Orleans in the mid-'60s for Los Angeles, where he found session work with the help of fellow New Orleans expatriate Harold Battiste. Rebennack renamed himself Dr. John, the Night Tripper when he recorded his first album, Gris-Gris. According to legend, this was hurriedly cut with leftover studio time from a Sonny & Cher session, but it never sounded hastily conceived. In fact, its mix of New Orleans R&B with voodoo sounds and a tinge of psychedelia was downright enthralling, and may have resulted in his greatest album.

He began building an underground following with both his music and his eccentric stage presence, which found him conducting ceremonial-type events in full Mardi Gras costume. Dr. John was nothing if not eclectic, and his next few albums were granted mixed critical receptions because of their unevenness and occasional excess. They certainly had their share of admirable moments, though, and Eric Clapton and Mick Jagger helped out on The Sun, Moon & Herbs in 1971. The following year's Gumbo, produced by Jerry Wexler, proved Dr. John was a master of traditional New Orleans R&B styles, in the mold of one of his heroes, Professor Longhair. In 1973, he got his sole big hit, "In the Right Place," which was produced by Allen Toussaint, with backing by the Meters. In the same year, he also recorded with Mike Bloomfield and John Hammond, Jr. for the Triumvirate album.

The rest of the decade, unfortunately, was pretty much a waste musically. Dr. John could always count on returning to traditional styles for a good critical reception, and he did so constantly in the '80s. There were solo piano albums, sessions with Chris Barber and Jimmy Witherspoon, and In a Sentimental Mood (1989), a record of pop standards. These didn't sell all that well, though. A more important problem was that he was capable of much more than recastings of old styles and material. In fact, by this time he was usually bringing in the bacon not through his own music, but via vocals for numerous commercial jingles. It continued pretty much in the same vein throughout the '90s: New Orleans super sessions for the Bluesiana albums, another outing with Chris Barber, an album of New Orleans standards, and another album of pop standards.

In 1994, Television did at least offer some original material. At this point he began to rely more upon cover versions for the bulk of his recorded work, though his interpretive skills will always ensure that these are more interesting than most such efforts. His autobiography, Under a Hoodoo Moon, was published by St. Martin's Press in 1994, and in 1998 he resurfaced with Anutha Zone, which featured collaborations with latter-day performers including Spiritualized, Paul Weller, Supergrass, and Ocean Colour Scene. Duke Elegant followed in early 2000. Additional albums for Blue Note followed in 2001 (Creole Moon) and 2004 (N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda). Sippiana Hericane, a four-song EP celebrating his beloved hometown of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, arrived in November of 2005. Mercernary, an album of covers of songs made famous by Johnny Mercer, appeared on Blue Note in 2006. City That Care Forgot followed in 2008. The Night Tripper persona was revived for 2010's Tribal, which featured guest spots from Derek Trucks, Allen Toussaint, Donald Harrison, and the late Bobby Charles. Dr. John also contributed to French electronic artist Féloche's international hit single "Gris Gris John" the same year. He teamed up with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach to produce and record Locked Down. It was issued in the spring of 2012. Two years later, he released the third album in his tribute series, a collection of songs by and associated with Louis Armstrong entitled Ske-Dat-De-Dat: Spirit of Satch. It featured guest appearances from Bonnie Raitt, Ledisi, and the McCrary Sisters, and Blind Boys of Alabama, and appeared in August of 2014.




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Dr. John's Gris-Gris is among the most enduring recordings of the psychedelic era; it sounds as mysterious and spooky in the 21st century as it did in 1968. It is the album where Mac Rebennack established a stage identity that has served him well. A respected studio ace in his native New Orleans, Rebennack was scuffling in L.A. Gris-Gris was his concept, an album that wove various threads of New Orleans music together behind the character of "Dr. John," a real voodoo root doctor from the 19th century. Harold Batiste, another ex-pat New Orleanian and respected arranger in Hollywood, scored him some free studio time left over from a Sonny & Cher session. They assembled a crack band of NOLA exiles and session players including saxophonist Plas Johnson, singers Jessie Hill and Shirley Goodman, and guitarist/mandolinist Richard "Didimus" Washington. Almost everyone played percussion. Gris-Gris sounds like a post-midnight ceremony recorded in the bayou swamp instead of L.A.'s Gold Star Studio where Phil Spector cut hits. The atmosphere is thick, smoky, serpentine, foreboding. Rebennack inhabits his character fully, delivering Creole French and slang English effortlessly in the grain of his half-spoken, half-sung voice. He is high priest and trickster, capable of blessing, cursing, and conning. On the opening incantation "Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya," Dr. John introduces himself as the "night tripper" and boasts of his medicinal abilities accompanied by wafting reverbed mandolins, hand drums, a bubbling bassline, blues harmonica, skeletal electric guitar, and a swaying backing chorus that blurs the line between gospel and soul. On "Danse Kalinda Boom," a calliope-sounding organ, Middle Eastern flute, Spanish-tinged guitars, bells, claves, congas, and drums fuel a wordless chorus in four-part chant harmony as a drum orgy evokes ceremonial rites. The sound of NOLA R&B comes to the fore in the killer soul groove of the breezy "Mama Roux." "Croker Courtboullion" is an exercise in vanguard jazz. Spectral voices, electric guitars, animal cries, flute, and moody saxophone solos and percussion drift in and out of the spacy mix. The set's masterpiece is saved for last, the nearly nearly eight-minute trance vamp in "I Walk on Gilded Splinters" (covered by everyone from Humble Pie, Cher, and Johnny Jenkins to Paul Weller and Papa Mali). Dr. John is brazen about the power of his spells in a slippery, evil-sounding boast. Congas, tom-toms, snaky guitar, and harmonica underscore his juju, while a backing chorus affirms his power like mambo priestesses in unison. A ghostly baritone saxophone wafts through the turnarounds. Droning blues, steamy funk, and loopy R&B are inseparably entwined in its groove. Remarkably, though rightfully considered a psychedelic masterpiece, there is little rock music on Gris-Gris. Its real achievement -- besides being a classic collection of startlingly deep tunes -- is that it brought New Orleans' cultural iconographies and musical traits to the attention of an emergent rock audience.

Dr. John - Gris-Gris  (flac  187mb)

01 Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya 5:34
02 Danse Kalinda Ba Doom 3:44
03 Mama Roux 2:55
04 Danse Fambeaux 4:53
05 Croker Courtbullion 5:57
06 Jump Sturdy 2:19
07 I Walk On Guilded Splinters 7:57

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Dr. John's ambition remained undiminished on his second solo album, Babylon, released shortly after the groundbreaking voodoo-psychedelia-New Orleans R&B fusion of his debut, Gris-Gris. The results, however, were not nearly as consistent or impressive. Coolly received by critics, the album nonetheless is deserving of attention, though it pales a bit in comparison with Gris-Gris. The production is sparser and more reliant on female backup vocals than his debut. Dr. John remains intent on fusing voodoo and R&B, but the mood is oddly bleak and despairing, in comparison with the wild Mardi Gras-gone-amok tone of his first LP. The hushed, damned atmosphere and after-hours R&B sound a bit like Van Morrison on a bummer trip at times, as peculiar as that might seem. "The Patriotic Flag-Waiver" (sic), in keeping with the mood of the late '60s, damns social ills and hypocrisy of all sorts. An FM underground radio favorite at the time, its ambitious structure remains admirable, though its musical imperfections haven't worn well. To a degree, you could say the same about the album as a whole. But it has enough of an eerie fascination to merit investigation.

Dr. John - Babylon (flac 168mb)

01 Babylon 5:25
02 Glowin' 5:39
03 Black Window Spider 5:01
04 Barefoot Lady 3:10
05 Twilight Zone 8:15
06 The Patriotic Flag-Waiver 4:52
07 The Lonesome Guitar Strangler 5:34

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Remedies is not rock and roll, it is something nearly otherworldly, and almost beyond comprehension. While it includes such standout Dr. John tracks as "Wash Mama Wash" and "Loop Garoo," it also includes "Angola Anthem," which is murky, mysterious and downright evil-sounding. Much of this very long cut is lost without headphones, for the music floats about in a smoky fog while Dr. John and his backup singers chant, moan, and cry out. Progressive radio loved this stuff, and it still sounds great during those late-night flirtations with the dark side of the psyche. Remedies must be heard to be believed.

Dr. John - Remedies (flac 245mb)

01 Loop Garoo 4:42
02 What Goes Around Comes Around 2:57
03 Wash, Mama, Wash 3:42
04 Chippy, Chippy 3:32
05 Mardi Gras Day 8:11
06 Angola Anthem 17:35

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Originally intended as a triple album, The Sun, Moon & Herbs was chopped up, whittled down and re-assembled into this single-disc release, and while Dr. John never liked this version much, perhaps the single disc is testament to the "less is more" theory. The seven cuts are all quite lengthy and the spells Dr. John and his consorts weave are dark and swampy. "Black John the Conqueror" comes from old Cajun folklore which the good Dr. has modernized and given a beat. The swampy "Craney Crow" is the younger sibling of his earlier "Walk On Guilded Splinters" and has a similar effect on the listener. "Pots on Fiyo (Fils Gumbo)" combines Latin American rhythms with lots of Cajun chants and spells. The vocals are nearly incomprehensible and actually serve as another instrument in the mix. "Zu Zu Mamou" is so thick that you can almost cut the music with a knife. Here, the atmosphere takes on a whole other meaning altogether. The Sun, Moon & Herbs is best listened to on a hot, muggy night with the sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance like jungle drums. Dr. John was definitely onto something here, but just what is left up to the listener.

Dr. John, The Night Tripper - The Sun, Moon and Herbs  (flac 204mb)

01 Black John The Conqueror 6:20
02 Where Ya At Mule 4:55
03 Craney Crow 6:40
04 Familiar Reality-Opening 5:25
05 Pots On Fiyo (Filé Gumbo) / Who I Got To Fall On (If The Pot Get Heavy) 5:48
06 Zu Zu Mamou 7:57
07 Familiar Reality-Reprise 1:53

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RhoDeo 1520 Goldy Rhox 210

Hello, today the 210th post of GoldyRhox, classic pop rock in the darklight is an English singer-songwriter and musician (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974), known for his acoustic guitar-based songs. He failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime but his work has gradually achieved wider notice and recognition

Our man signed to Island Records when he was 20 years old and was a student at the University of Cambridge, and released his debut album, in 1969. By 1972, he had recorded two more albums—Bryter Layter and Pink Moon. Neither sold more than 5,000 copies on initial release. His reluctance to perform live, or be interviewed, contributed to his lack of commercial success. There is no known moving footage of him, he was only ever captured in still photographs and in home footage from his childhood.

Our mystery man suffered from depression, particularly during the latter part of his short life. This was often reflected in his lyrics. On completion of his third album, 1972's Pink Moon, he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. On 25 November 1974, he died from an overdose of amitriptyline, a prescribed antidepressant; he was 26 years old. Whether his death was an accident or suicide has never been resolved.

The music remained available through the mid-1970s, but the 1979 release of the retrospective album Fruit Tree allowed his back catalogue to be reassessed. By the mid-1980s our man was being credited as an influence by such artists as Robert Smith, David Sylvian and Peter Buck. In 1985, The Dream Academy reached the UK and US charts with "Life in a Northern Town", a song written for and dedicated to our man. By the early 1990s, he had come to represent a certain type of "doomed romantic" musician in the UK music press. His first biography was published in 1997, followed in 1998 by the documentary film A Stranger Among Us.


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Most of the albums i 'll post made many millions for the music industry and a lot of what i intend to post still gets repackaged and remastered decades later, squeezing the last drop of profit out of bands that for the most part have ceased to exist long ago, although sometimes they get lured out of the mothballs to do a big bucks gig or tour. Now i'm not as naive to post this kinda music for all to see and have deleted, these will be a black box posts, i'm sorry for those on limited bandwidth but for most of you a gamble will get you a quality rip don't like it, deleting is just 2 clicks...That said i will try to accommodate somewhat and produce some cryptic info on the artist and or album.

Today's mystery album is the debut studio album by today's mystery English folk musician. Recorded between 1968 and 1969, it was released 1 September 1969 by record label Island. It is considered a classic of contemporary music, produced by Joe Boyd. This album contains no unaccompanied songs. Our man was accompanied by members of the British folk rock groups Fairport Convention and Pentangle.

The title of the album is a reference to the old Rizla cigarette papers packet, which used to contain a printed note near the end saying "Only five leaves left". In 2003, the album was ranked number 280 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. His work was remastered in 2000 to much acclaim leading to a posthumus gold album  Well it's up for grabs here...N'Joy


Goldy Rhox 210   (flac 221mb)

Goldy Rhox 210    (ogg 94mb)


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RhoDeo 1520 Aetix

Hello, it's Eurovision songfestival week it was started off by an Ukranian singing a song written by a Swede for the leftover country of Moldova..way to go. Anyway since all the Eastern Europe and all those previous Sovjet Union countries joined things have become much more entertaining...highlight as ever the neighbourly voting, but the craziest will win haha

Today an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During their early years Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, they expanded to include a backing band..Enough said here's something to .... N'Joy

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Combining a knack for infectious melodies with a quirky sense of humor and a vaguely avant-garde aesthetic borrowed from the New York post-punk underground, They Might Be Giants became an unlikely alternative rock success story as they reinvented themselves throughout their career. Musically, John Flansburgh and John Linnell borrowed from everywhere, but this eclecticism was enhanced by their arcane sensibilities. The duo referenced everything from British Invasion to Tin Pan Alley, while making allusions to pulp fiction and President Polk. Through their string of indie releases and constant touring, They Might Be Giants built up a huge following on college campuses during the late '80s, switching to a major label in the early '90s. With support from MTV, 1990's Flood became a gold album, and with it, the duo began to reap commercial rewards, moving into the status of one of the most popular alternative bands before grunge. Though the group retreated to its cult following in the mid-'90s, when an avalanche of post-grunge groups dominated MTV and modern rock radio, the 2000s and 2010s found them thriving, with well-received forays into children's music and soundtracks as well as acclaimed albums for their adult fans.

Flansburgh and Linnell met when they were children in Lincoln, Massachusetts. During high school, they began writing songs together, yet they never officially formed a band. Both Johns went to college after high school, with Linnell playing in the Mundanes, a new wave group from Rhode Island. By 1981, the pair had reunited, deciding to move to Brooklyn to pursue a musical career. Taking their name from a George C. Scott film and performing their original material with a drum machine, They Might Be Giants soon became fixtures on the Manhattan underground. Although Flansburgh and Linnell were building a cult following, they had a hard time getting a record deal, so they set up Dial-A-Song -- a phone line that played songs on an answering machine -- as a way to get their songs heard. The gimmick worked. Not only did it lead to a deal with the indie label Bar/None, but over the years it was a successful venture; at one point, the service was receiving hundreds of calls a day.

They Might Be Giants released their eponymous debut in 1986, and the album became a college radio hit; it also made waves on MTV due to the inventive video for "Don't Let's Start." Two years later, they released Lincoln, which expanded their following considerably. Featuring the college hit "Ana Ng," Lincoln climbed to number 89 on the charts, earning the attention of major labels. They Might Be Giants signed with Elektra Records in 1990, releasing Flood later that year. Flood worked its way to gold status, thanks to the singles "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," which both had popular videos. In the wake of the group's success, Restless/Bar/None released the B-sides and rarities compilation Miscellaneous T in 1991.

Apollo 18, released in 1992, wasn't quite as successful as Flood, yet it consolidated the group's cult following. For the album's supporting tour, They Might Be Giants performed with a full backing band for the first time, hiring former Pere Ubu bassist Tony Maimone and drummer Brian Doherty. The shift toward a full band coincided with the dominance of grunge in alternative rock. Though they were strengthened by the powerful sound of a full band, They Might Be Giants failed to receive much attention from MTV, mainstream modern rock radio, or college radio when they released John Henry in the fall of 1994. Recorded with the full band, John Henry lost the group a number of fans, yet their concerts remained popular attractions, especially on American college campuses. Still, the band's next album, 1996's Factory Showroom, was virtually ignored by the press, MTV, and radio. The live Severe Tire Damage followed two years later.

They Might Be Giants maintained their "hardest working men in show business" status in 2001 when they issued Mink Car, a stunning follow-up to Factory Showroom that boasted collaborations with M. Doughty, Adam Schlesinger, and the Elegant Too. They celebrated their 20th anniversary in summer 2002 with the release of their first children's album, No! Rhino also celebrated the band's tenure with the first-ever They Might Be Giants retrospective, Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants. A year later, Flansburgh and Linnell joined Canadian artist Marcel Dzama for the children's book and CD set Bed, Bed, Bed. The Indestructible Object EP arrived in spring 2004, just a few months before the band's eighth full-length album, The Spine. Early in 2005, Here Come the ABCs and its accompanying DVD were the band's first releases for Disney Sound. Later that year, They Got Lost arrived.

Over the course of the next two years, TMBG released a series of monthly and bimonthly podcasts. They also contributed to various film soundtracks, including Disney's Meet the Robinsons and the film adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. The band's 14th studio release, The Else, hit stores in the summer of 2007. Here Come the 123's, the sequel to Here Come the ABC's, appeared in early 2008. Later that year, the CD/DVD set Venue Songs, which featured appearances by actor/comedian John Hodgman, was released. Here Comes Science, which featured songs about paleontology, astronomy, and chemistry, and included a DVD with animated versions of "the Johns" and videos by Divya Srinivasan, Tiny Inventions, David Cowles, Hine Mizushima, and Feel Good Anyway, was released in fall 2009. Two years later, They Might Be Giants put the children's music on hold and released Join Us, the band's first "adult" album in four years. Soon after the band finished the Join Us tour, they began work on their 16th album, Nanobots, a song cycle that featured several small songs akin to the "Fingertips" tracks on Apollo 18, which hit the shelves in 2013. In 2014, they took a look back at their independent years with Idlewild, a compilation named for their own label that collected some of their favorite songs from that era. The band also took a break from its formidable touring schedule to work on three new albums. In December 2014, They Might Be Giants relaunched Dial-A-Song -- which had ceased its original run in 2006 -- with the goal of releasing one new song a week through the end of 2015. Several of these songs appeared on Glean, which arrived in April 2015; a children's album was among the other projects expected from them that year.

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They Might Be Giants' eponymous debut album is a wild fusion of new wave pop and arty post-punk experiments borrowed from the New York underground. It runs through a head-spinning 19 songs in just over 45 minutes, running the gamut from the performance-art schtick of "Chess Piece Face" and "Youth Culture Killed My Dog" to the pure pop of "Don't Let's Start" and "Everything Right Is Wrong Again." While there are a lot of geeky jokes and barely developed ideas scattered throughout the album, the sheer kaleidoscopic array of styles is intoxicating, and it helps the best songs -- the Costello-esque "Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head," the sighing "Hide Away Folk Family," the stomping "(She Was A) Hotel Detective," and the gorgeous "She's an Angel" -- stand out in sharp relief.

They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants  (flac 230mb)

01 Everything Right Is Wrong Again 2:20
02 Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head 2:12
03 Number Three 1:27
04 Don't Let's Start 2:36
05 Hide Away Folk Family 3:21
06 32 Footsteps 1:35
07 Toddler Hiway 0:25
08 Rabid Child 1:31
09 Nothing's Gonna Change My Clothes 1:58
10 (She Was A) Hotel Detective 2:10
11 She's An Angel 2:37
12 Youth Culture Killed My Dog 2:51
13 Boat Of Car 1:15
14 Absolutely Bill's Mood 2:38
15 Chess Piece Face 1:21
16 I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die 1:58
17 Alienation's For The Rich 2:25
18 The Day 1:27
19 Rhythm Section Want Ad 2:21

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Cutting away some of the artier aspects of their debut, They Might Be Giants craft another wildly eclectic and geekily fun collection of alt-pop with Lincoln. In general, the album displays greater musical ambition than its predecessor, especially since the duo have trimmed many of the weirder excesses of the debut. Without such arty trappings, their gift for irresistible pop hooks becomes all the more clear, with "Ana Ng," "Purple Toupee," the Latin shuffle of "The World's Address," "Santa's Beard," the surprisingly affecting "They'll Need a Crane," and the lounge jazz of "Kiss Me, Son of God" standing out among the 18 songs. And when They Might Be Giants don't go for the hooks, as on "Pencil Rain" or "Cage & Aquarium," they prove to be expert musical satirists, which means that Lincoln is every bit as infectious as the debut.

They Might Be Giants - Lincoln  (flac 244mb)

01 Ana Ng 3:23
02 Cowtown 2:20
03 Lie Still, Little Bottle 2:06
04 Purple Toupee 2:40
05 Cage & Aquarium 1:10
06 Where Your Eyes Don't Go 3:06
07 Piece Of Dirt 2:00
08 Mr. Me 1:51
09 Pencil Rain 2:42
10 The World's Address 2:24
11 I've Got A Match 2:36
12 Santa's Beard 1:55
13 You'll Miss Me 1:53
14 They'll Need A Crane 2:33
15 Shoehorn With Teeth 1:12
16 Stand On Your Own Head 1:16
17 Snowball In Hell 2:31
18 Kiss Me, Son Of God 1:54

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On their major-label debut, Flood, They Might Be Giants exchange quirky artiness for unabashed geekiness and a more varied and polished musical attack. Although the album contains two of the group's finest singles in "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," the overall record is uneven, since the group's hooks aren't quite as sharp as before and the humor is either too geeky or leavened with awkward social statements like "Your Racist Friend." Even with its faults, Flood has a number of first-rate songs, and it's a strong addition to their catalog, even if it isn't as weirdly intoxicating as its predecessors.

They Might Be Giants - Flood (flac 328mb)

01 Theme From Flood 0:29
02 Birdhouse In Your Soul 3:15
03 Lucky Ball & Chain 2:49
04 Istanbul (Not Constantinople) 2:34
05 Dead 2:54
06 Your Racist Friend 2:53
07 Particle Man 1:56
08 Twisting 1:54
09 We Want A Rock 2:54
10 Someone Keeps Moving My Chair 2:19
11 Hearing Aid 3:28
12 Minimum Wage 0:44
13 Letterbox 1:21
14 Whistling In The Dark 3:25
15 Hot Cha 1:33
16 Women And Men 1:45
17 Sapphire Bullets Of Pure Love 1:32
18 They Might Be Giants 2:39
19 Road Movie To Berlin 2:24
Bonus Tracks
20 Ant 1:52
21 James K. Polk 3:15
22 Stormy Pinkness 1:11

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