RhoDeo 1731 Tales 07

Hello, well my F1 prediction missed, Ferrari being superstrong Vettel won despite having steering problems thus Raikonen could easily follow, behind them Hamilton and Bottas switched places twice last time just before the finish and just in time to keep Verstappen at bay who finished 1 sec behind no 3 Bottas, after having suffered a 10 sec time penalty for knocking his teammate Ricciardo out of the race. Birthday boy Alonso best of the rest and the fastest lap, Mclaren looks like having found it's feet. The women's European Champions ship saw two pre-tournament favourites loose their quarterfinal match. Denmark beat Germany 2-1 and England managed a 1-0 victory over France, it sets them up for a semi-final with The Netherlands, Denmark sees in Austria the surprise package of the tournament, but this semi final looks much weeker on paper as the Netherlands-England semi. My tip for the final Netherlands - Denmark who had a close match already in their poule, but the Danes look better under stress..



Today's artist was an American author and screenwriter. He worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, horror and mystery fiction. Widely known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 (1953), and his science fiction and horror story collections The Martian Chronicles (1950), The Illustrated Man (1951), and I Sing the Body Electric (1969), our man was one of the most celebrated 20th- and 21st-century American writers. While most of his best known work is in speculative fiction, he also wrote in other genres, such as the coming-of-age novel Dandelion Wine (1957) or the fictionalized memoir Green Shadows, White Whale (1992).

Recipient of numerous awards, including a 2007 Pulitzer Citation, Bradbury also wrote and consulted on screenplays and television scripts, many of his works were adapted to comic book, television and film formats. On his death in 2012, The New York Times called Bradbury "the writer most responsible for bringing modern science fiction into the literary mainstream.... N'joy.

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The Ray Bradbury Theater is an anthology series that ran for two seasons on HBO, three episodes per season from 1985 to 1986, and four additional seasons on USA Network from 1988 to 1992. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel. All 65 episodes were written by Ray Bradbury and many were based on short stories or novels he had written, including "A Sound of Thunder", "Marionettes, Inc.", "Banshee", "The Playground", "Mars is Heaven", "Usher II", "The Jar", "The Long Rain", "The Veldt", "The Small Assassin", "The Pedestrian", "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl", "Here There Be Tygers", "The Toynbee Convector", and "Sun and Shadow".

Many of the episodes focused on only one of Bradbury's original works. However, Bradbury occasionally included elements from his other works. "Marionettes, Inc." featured Fantoccini, a character from "I Sing the Body Electric!". "Gotcha!" included an opening sequence taken from "The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair". Characters were renamed, and elements added to the original works to expand the story to 23–28 minutes or to better suit the television medium.

Each episode would begin with a shot of Bradbury in his office, gazing over mementos of his life, which he states (in narrative) are used to spark ideas for stories. During the first season, Bradbury sometimes appeared on-screen in brief vignettes introducing the story. During the second season, Bradbury provided the opening narration with no specific embellishment concerning the episode. During the third season, a foreshortened version of the narration was used and Bradbury would add specific comments relevant to the episode presented. During the fourth and later seasons, a slightly shorter generic narration was used with no additional comments.

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The Ray Bradbury Theater 06 Banshee (avi  350mb)

An eccentric flamboyant critic, who's staying at a lodge in the Irish woods, makes a bet with a mild-mannered skeptical writer, that the legend about the sad banshee haunting the forest searching for her lover is real.



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Here a series of Ray Bradbury stories specially dramatised for radio with introductions by the author.

Ray enthusiastically agreed and, joined by writer Catherine Czerkawska and director Hamish Wilson (who had collaborated on some Bradbury stories broadcast by BBC Scotland), we embarked on a series of 30-minute plays under the generic title Ray Bradbury's Tales of the Bizarre.

Ray Bradbury introduces his own spooky tale of confessions and confectionary dramatised by Catherine Czerkawska. Starring TP McKenna as the priest and John Yule as the young man. Director: Hamish Wilson



Ray Bradbury - 07 The Man Upstairs (mp3  25mb)

07 The Man Upstairs 28:17

A new guest in a boarding house is disliked by the grandson of the lady who runs the house. But why? The reason soon becomes startingly clear....




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previously

Ray Bradbury - Night Call, Collect (mp3  27mb)
Ray Bradbury - Have I Got a Chocolate Bar for You (mp3  24mb)
Ray Bradbury - The Jar (mp3  26mb)
Ray Bradbury - The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl (mp3  26mb)
Ray Bradbury - I Sing the Body Electric (mp3  26mb)
Ray Bradbury - Skeleton (mp3  26mb)




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Sundaze 1731

Hello, The Ferrari's lead the way at this weekends Grand Prix in Hungary, they are being chased by the mercedes' and all 4 are in danger of being pounced by the Red Bulls, should be an exiting race tomorrow.. My tip for the podium tomorrow 1 Vettel, 2 Verstappen, 3 Bottas...

It doesn't happen too often but there's no less then 4 great albums on offer to massage your brain today, make some ambient space on your hard disk.

Today's Artist is a 'space' rock producer, one of the few ambient producers to use an electric guitar as his main source of music. He started playing guitar in 1980, playing what he could from the radio. It was not until he took classical and jazz guitar classes that he was introduced to different forms of guitar playing. Mostly influenced by the early sounds of Brian Eno's Music for Airports, the now experienced guitarist found his niche in ambient music, or space rock. Using his guitar and a slew of distortion pedals, and even sometimes a knife to bow the strings, his work developed a strong fan base..... N'Joy

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Jeff Pearce is an Indiana-based ambient/new age musician. He has been called "one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time" by Allmusic, while reviewer John Diliberto wrote in Billboard magazine that Pearce is "one of the best" guitarists to follow the solo electric guitarist concept. Pearce started playing guitar at age 13 and discovered the music of Brian Eno and Harold Budd while in college

Since 1993, Jeff Pearce has been well known to the ambient/new age music community for his unique approach to the electric guitar. He has been called "one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time" by AllMusic while reviewer John Diliberto wrote in Billboard magazine that Pearce is "one of the best" guitarists to follow the solo electric guitarist concept.  Whether playing intimate acoustic-based music or crafting deep-space ambient guitar drifts, Jeff composes music with equal parts melody and mystery.

Pearce's first album, Tenderness and Fatality, was released in 1993 and the following six albums saw Pearce focusing on creating music using only electric guitar. His albums To the Shores of Heaven and Bleed were picked as "album of the month" by the producers of NPR's Echoes radio program. For his eighth and ninth albums, Lingering Light and Rainshadow Sky, Pearce featured compositions written for the Chapman Stick.

Jeff is an active live performer, having played venues ranging from historic churches and concert halls to planetariums and dance clubs. His live performances are memorable events, mixing songs from his cd's with humorous storytelling and surprising musical improvisations.  He has shared with stage with such performers as Will Ackerman, Stephan Micus, Steve Roach, Jonn Serrie, and Liz Story. Pearce's music can also be heard on the nationally syndicated weekly radio program Music from the Hearts of Space.

Jeff has also contributed his guitar and Stick playing to recordings by Kevin Keller, Paul Avgerinos, Jeff Oster, Robert Linton, and Vidna Obmana


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Jeff Pearce is one of the top electronic guitarists of all time. Daylight Slowly, his first album for Hypnos Recordings, is a slowly evolving sound world and a look inside the workings of a musical genius. Pearce builds huge walls of sound with an electric guitar, a processor, and loops. In between the source elements and the walls, he weaves intricate soundscapes and vacuous atmospheres. The walls of sound are opening slowly to a brighter and more hopeful world. Pearce has defined his own niche in the e-music community. He willingly allows and invites anyone to enter that niche. He is a gracious host. This album will appeal to fans of Mark Dwane, Viridian Sun, James Johnson, Jeff Greinke, and Richard Bone. It is essential for all fans of electronic minimalism. Casual fans will find it interesting for the sounds that Pearce makes with a guitar. For more than 72 minutes, sinuous soundwaves from Jeff Pearce's guitar will entwine themselves around your world....

Jeff Pearce - Daylight Slowly  (flac 260mb)

01 Inner Light 4:03
02 Spirals 3:58
03 Cloud Water Rising 3:49
04 Labyrinth 3:11
05 Quiet And Clear 4:15
06 The Broken Places 4:21
07 Known Presence 10:33
08 Delta 4:29
09 Through Darkened Halls 4:05
10 11/11 2:20
11 Inner Storms 4:58
12 Daylight Slowly 2:07
13 Passage To Home 20:22

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The body of Pearce's work to date consistently stands out in its ethereal beauty and emotional impact. To the Shores of Heaven is clearly his masterstroke. The opening track, "A Fading," goes straight for the heartstrings with Pearce's sublime guitar work. Electronic enhancement is (perhaps deceptively) feather-light. The pristine and languid acoustic melancholy of the instrument shines through. As "The Shores" progresses, Pearce exquisitely intertwines this lyrical quality with lushly layered soundscapes to create music that glistens with a haunting radiance. The "shores" aspect of the title comes into play (particularly on the fifth track) as the music gently hints at an aural seascape of the surf repetitively crashing against a sandy shore, with the faint call of gulls echoing overhead. In this reviewer's humble opinion, To The Shores of Heaven reaches its apex with track #7- "Veil of Lake Snow." The piece illustrates what sets Pearce apart from other ambient artists- that heavenly guitar work. Pensive, plaintive, and achingly poignant; space music with a soul...the quintessential Jeff. "Doubt on Dark waters" beguiles the listener, as a sensual, tribal beat percolates under a gossamer veil of soaring sustained chords. The effect is exotic and tantalizing. The title track provides a dramatic climax to the record. Overlapping crescendos of richly layered sound wash over the listener, enveloping all senses. Majestic and elegant, the piece is positively transcendent. As "Shores" comes to a conclusion with the wistful and introspective "Reunions," one thing becomes clear: With this release, Jeff Pearce deftly attains the moniker of "Space Musician." He sublimely sets the listener somewhere far above the stratosphere...perhaps, one might say, at the shores of heaven.

Jeff Pearce - To the Shores of Heaven (flac  260mb)
 
01 A Fading 3:41
02 Sudden Light 4:11
03 From Cliffs Of Departure 4:11
04 The Emergence 6:19
05 Rain As A Metaphor 11:46
06 Beyond And Within 4:48
07 Veil Of Lake Snow 3:49
08 Angels Of The Ocean Calm 6:06
09 Doubt On Dark Waters 5:13
10 To The Shores Of Heaven 7:17
11 Reunions 3:27

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Following 2000's profoundly critical Hypnos Recordings release To the Shores of Heaven, Jeff Pearce, to many, had made his mark as an artist and as an ambient force to be reckoned with; with a half-dozen recordings under his belt, and as many compilation appearances and collaboration spots, one could say that Pearce has quickly moved to the top of the ambient genre. With The Light Beyond, Pearce charts a new direction in his compositional style. Pearce's work has always been quite melodic and without drones, not usually representative of ambient music, but with The Light Beyond, Pearce has turned away a bit from the melodies and turned more toward the drones, creating a profoundly ambient recording. The Light Beyond isn't a droney recording like classic Brian Eno or Steve Roach discs, but you're not going to hear Pearce's gifted, melodic work as much on this recording either. The Light Beyond was recorded during a "live" broadcast at the Star's End studios in June of 2000, so essentially this is a "live" recording, but with Pearce's gifted production work you could never tell. Another point worth mentioning is that this recording was created entirely out of a single solo electric guitar; the sounds that Pearce manages to coax out of his guitar are amazing and it sounds like there's more going on than that, but there's not. This is a great starting point for fans of ambient music, but if you're more interested in melodic music try checking out his 2000 release To the Shores of Heaven.

Jeff Pearce - The Light Beyond (flac 231mb)

01 Migration Of Souls 4:34
02 Across The Infinite Sea 7:20
03 A Farther Shore 43:46
04 The Light Beyond 2:19

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Jeff Pearce is one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time. Years ago, saying that would have been blasphemy. To compare anyone to Robert Fripp, the acknowledged master and progenitor of the style, was unthinkable, let alone conscionable. Yet, in many ways Pearce has surpassed Fripp. Bleed encompasses and acknowledges those ways. Pearce wrote the music for this album after reading his diary from his teenage years. He has made no secret of the fact that these were troubled years for him. Thus, the compositions are dripping with all the angst and pain of inner-child demons. Pearce has put his heart and soul right on the front lines. Deep listeners will feel the confusion, loneliness, and isolation of adolescence along with the pain and fear of rejection and abandonment. Pearce has stated many times that he creates his atmospheres with only a guitar and a processor. He fibs, too. This masterpiece features all of his emotional courage and spiritual strength -- that is one of the ways in which he has surpassed Fripp. Pearce's compositional skills have also surpassed Fripp's. Pearce's willingness to let his audience into his heart and soul separates him from the rest of the crowd. In perhaps the strongest indicator of greatness, there are no discs even closely comparable to this masterwork. It rates a seven only because it has not had the test of time to be a nine. It is, quite simply, in a league of its own.

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Jeff Pearce - Bleed (flac 235mb)

01 Autumn And Regret 3:39
02 Written In Water 4:04
03 Through Tears 3:34
04 Melancholia 2:55
05 In Weaker Moments 4:16
06 From A Dead Heart 4:25
07 Unrequited 2:40
08 False Hope 3:25
09 Closure In The Rain 4:45
10 Heatherscar 3:54
11 Abandoned Playgrounds 5:01
12 Bleed 4:16
13 The Last Secret 4:58

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As the bio above is rather limited i thought to share here an excellent interview by Ambient Visions with Jeff Pearce in 2001


Talks With Jeff Pearce

AV:  When was it that you first realized that music was going to be an important component of your life?

JP:  Music always moved me as a listener, so, in that respect, I knew that music would always be an important part of my life.  But my OWN music?  That happened when I strummed my first guitar chord at the age of 13.  To just feel those strings vibrate under my fingers, to hear the sounds change as I moved my hand around- I knew right then that I wanted this instrument to be the main outlet for my musical expressions.

AV:  Were guitars always your instrument of choice when it came time to write music?

JP:  No.  I started out my musical life as a drummer.  Before that, I was the victim of a few piano lessons! (laughs) Unfortunately, I didn't quite "take" to that instrument when I was seven years old.  To this day, I have a lot of instruments around the house that I'm constantly playing- a piano, a synth, a zither- and they all inspire the creative process, but I really don't see myself ever recording my music with them.  I respect my audience- and my own music- too much to subject either one to the noodlings I make on these other instruments! (laughs)  There's a "freshness" that DOES come from experimenting with other instruments, but that freshness can be taken back to your "main" instrument, with a little bit of creativity.

AV:  Who were some of your early influences in the ambient music field that helped to shape the sound of your music?

JP:  It was all basically Brian Eno and Harold Budd.  I came across a cassette copy of "Music for Airports" at my college bookstore in late 1985, and it was an incredibly "mind-altering" experience.  I heard elements of chance and randomness introduced into music, yet without all the chaos and atonalism that I head in modern classical music.  Then, about a week later, I picked up a copy of "The Pearl" by Budd and Eno.  This time, I heard a more structured approach, but it STILL was in that wonderfully reflective place that I heard in "Airports".  A week after THAT, I picked up Eno's "Music for Films".  To this day, I still think that this ambient genre of ours can be best represented by these three recordings.  There was no "ego" in any of these, Eno and Budd weren't out to loudly proclaim their greatness to all who would hear.  They were simply making the music for themselves, on their own terms, and were patiently awaiting to see what shape the music would take.  That patience, sadly, is absent from so much of today's ambient music, at least to my ears.

AV:  Did you ever have any formal training as far as your music goes or was it mostly pick it up as you go along? Do you see any advantages or disadvantages to having or not having formal musical training as opposed to teaching yourself?

JP:  I took roughly three years of classical and jazz guitar lessons in high school, and played in jazz bands and studied percussion in college.  I can only speak for me, but I'm glad that I know how to read music and know music theory.  Being able to do this not only gives me the potential to connect with musicians from all over the world, but it also gives me a chance to connect with music that was written hundreds of years before I was born.  I don't see an advantage or a disadvantage to reading music/knowing theory in the world of music composing; Brian Eno picked up things as he went along, but Harold Budd was a very schooled musician.  It's often a romanticized notion, especially in this genre of music, of the musician who proudly proclaims "I don't know anything about music theory- I play from the soul!". Unfortunately, this has lead to something of a form of "reverse discrimination" in certain circles- musicians quietly viewed as being "soul-less" just because they know how to read music, or know music theory.

AV:  I think I've asked this question of other musicians that I've talked to but I'm always curious as to how your environment affects the kind of music that you create. How did your environment (geographic/emotional) affect your writing and the style of music that you chose to pursue?

JP:  I consider the enviroment I'm in to COMPLETELY affect my kind of music.  At the moment, my wife, daughter, and I live on five secluded acres of forest in Indiana.  We have a nice stream that goes through the property, and a lot of wildlife around us.  I love looking out the window and seeing the seasons progress.  It's beautiful, to my eyes, to see things slowy change every day.

For what I do, I can't imagine a more boring place than somewhere that doesn't have seasonal changes- where it's always hot or always cold all the time.  I like the element of progression in music.  In MY music, that's probably the reason that I DON'T use "static" loops- where the same thing just repeats over and over and over.  I like to always have something new going into the delay line, at the same time that something old goes away. And the seasons are like this- every day, something new arrives as something old dies off.

AV:  About when was it that you started to think of music in terms of a career and something that you could actually do for a living?

JP:  I haven't done this yet, but I probably will soon! (laughs)  Really, I DON'T view this whole process as a "career", because I know that, at least for the moment, this genre is way too small to sustain my approach to what I do.

There are a handful of guys out there "making a living" with this music and nothing else.  God bless them, I say.  But they are often working at a pace that I personally would feel uncomfortable working at.  If I were cranking out a lot of cd projects a year, the quality of my music would suffer.  I know this.  Maybe these other people's music doesn't suffer from this pace, but mine would.  My views of my music are such that I see what I do musically to be a piece- a very important piece- of the overall puzzle known as my life.  Right now, I feel like there's a balance in the puzzle- at least at the moment!  The other pieces of the puzzle are my family, my friends, my health, spirituality- the whole big picture.  And yes- once all the pieces fit, life often scrambles up the pieces again, and you start all over.  That's how it should be.  But I know that if I were to make my music the biggest piece of the puzzle, my "life" would be poorer for it.  Then, ironically, that neglected life would start to feed bad energy back into the music, diminishing THAT as well.

AV:  Is there a conflict between you as an artist who creates the music for the joy of expressing himself and you as a businessman who must view the created music as a product that you have to bring to market? How is it that you balance these seemingly opposite ends of the spectrum to > achieve something that is satisfying to you as artist but allows you to make money from your creations?

JP:  That part of the question is easy- I DON'T make money from my music! (laughs)  Well, not very much at least.

I'm blessed that I work with a guy like Mike Griffin and the Hypnos label. Mike has a very business-like approach to Hypnos, don't get me wrong.  But it's BECAUSE he has such a good business head that he can put out cd's that personally move and inspire him.  I'm honored to be among that group of musicians.  Mike doesn't get caught up in the "unimportant things" surrounding this music; if there was ever a "zen record label head", that would be Mike Griffin!  (laughs)

Regarding the release of my own music, I'm afraid that I don't have any pained or tortured insights on the process; I simply release the absolute best music that I can with every cd I put out.  Not a very exciting answer, right?  "Trust" is the most important thing between an artist and an audience, in my opinion.  And I want those who have blessed me by listening to my music to know that whenever they listen to a Jeff Pearce cd, they are hearing the absolute best that Jeff Pearce could do- it wasn't rushed, it wasn't an after-thought, it wasn't an attempt to further my catalog or my "presence" in the "music scene".  It was simply my music, and the best of my music that I could create at that time.

AV:  Looking back on some of your sophomore recordings are there any that stand out as favorites even now? What was it that makes them shine even after their time has passed?

JP:  I still like my first cd "Tenderness and Fatality" from 1993.  I took some heat from some ambient folks on that one, because that release was mostly recognizeable guitar sounds, and those sounds appeared in structured SONGS! (laughs) There were three cuts on there that forshadowed my more "processed" leanings- cuts that I did with a trusty Electro-Harmonix delay box, creating long infinite repeat delay lines and such.

A lot of these "spacy textures" I was experimenting with ended up appearing on my cd "Daylight Slowly" in 1998, which is another release of mine that is a nice nostalgiac listen for me.  And I truly enjoy "To the Shores of Heaven", because, with that release, I was experiementing with textures and sounds that were different than what I had previously done, and different than what is the norm for "ambient guitar".  But I also took the time to make sure that these sounds were worked into some good songs.  Sounds are great, songs are better!  (laughs)

AV:  Do you have a certain way that you approach composing music when inspiration strikes you? Or is there some way that you start the process simply by sitting down with your guitar and beginning to play?

JP:  Again, this is another not-so-exciting answer, but I really just let the "muse" or inspiration or whatever it is dictate the composing.  I really DON'T try to force things out.  I've always felt that if I wanted my music to feel smooth and effortless and flowing, then I'm not going to achieve that feel if I try to "force" the creation of the music.  Sometimes inspiration strikes me while I have a guitar in my lap.  But very rarely. Most of the time, inspiration strikes me while I'm just living my life-talking with friends, spending time with my daughter, cooking, doing yardwork.  Oh, and sleeping- and I'm not crazy about inspiration striking at 2:00 am!  (laughs)

AV:  What kind of equipment do you have around the house to set down your inspirations in a permanent form for later manipulation?

JP:  I'm fortunate that I have a very small yet intuitive set up in my basement studio.  I have a Roland VM3100pro digital mixer hooked into my computer, and all my effects units and guitars hooked into the mixer.  When inspiration strikes, I can quickly call up my Sound Forge program on my computer and record my "musical thoughts".  Sometimes the whole thing comes out.  Other times, it just a piece to a puzzle that will present itself at a later date.  Regardless, I am always thankful for whatever arrives because of inspiration.

AV:  How has technology changed the way that you as a musician take your creative idea from inspiration to final mix, ready for duplication and distribution?

JP:  I've only recently gotten into the more technical/computer end of music making, and it's been a pretty steep learning curve!  I've been very happy to embrace this technology, though, because it means total freedom for the musician.  Or total chaos if you have a computer crash!  (laughs)  It's been useful to have all the songs on my hard drive, and be able to tweak them to my heart's content before burning a cd-r of them and sending it to the pressing plant.

AV:  What was the first CD that you created and saw pressed and distributed by a record label? How does that feel as an artist to see your work moving beyond just you and out into the world?

JP:  My first cd, "Tenderness and Fatality" was a self release project in 1993. It was a really odd feeling when it was sitting in front of me in physical form; I felt a little like I was at the end, and also the beginning, of a journey.

AV:  I don't always think of a guitar as being a real subtle instrument but you seem to bring forth some wonderful sounds from your guitar...how is it that you process these signals to achieve such a flowing sound?

JP:  I tend to approach my guitar in the same way as I cook- I throw everything at it, and examine the final results.  If it tastes bad, well, I've eliminated one "recipe" from my library!

In recent years, I've found it far more liberating to focus on a few pieces of gear that really speak to me, as opposed to trying out a lot of different things.  For example, the "mainstay" of my guitar set-up is the Roland GP-100 pre-amp.  It's just a very deep and powerful processor, and I'm always discovering new things on it.  I might not be discovering those new things if I were to buy a new piece of gear as soon as it came out and spend time with that- until a new piece of gear comes out!

What I REALLY like doing is taking effects that other musicians ignore for whatever reasons, and combine them with OTHER effects that musicians tend to overlook or underuse.  Sometimes the result is disappointing.  Ok, a LOT of times the results are disappointing!  (laughs) But the times that it DOES work- it's great.  Again, though- I've had more fun hooking my good old gear up in the "wrong" order than I've had with pieces of "ambient musician approved" gear.

AV:  Tell me about how you hooked up with Mike Griffin and Hypnos records and what kind of relationship as an artist that you have with him. What kind of input does Mike have in regards to your music before you reach a final mix?

JP:  Mike Griffin e-mailed me out of the blue in mid-1997 saying that he bought a cd of mine and really liked it.  He mentioned that he had a web site, and gave me the address for it.  I was completely blown away by his artwork.  As we started corresponding, we developed a friendship- one which I cherish to this day.  If anything, that's the most important aspect of our relationship- we both know that we can phone/e-mail each other if we want to rant and rave about AC/DC or Rush or Cheap Trick, or have deep philosophical discussions about the importance of videogames in our lives!

Mike and I sort of have an unspoken agreement regarding my music- he doesn't tell me what to play, and I don't deliver him a hip-hop cd!  Seriously, he has such trust in me for what I do musically, that I don't want to deliver him anything short of my best.  I value that trust he has placed in me.

AV:  Is performing live as an ambient artist any different than putting on a concert within any other genre? Are there the same expectations or is there another mindset present within the ambient listener?

JP:  I'm not the person to ask about live performances!  (laughs)  I've only done three of them.  However, I do my best to present a "live" performance, as opposed to using cd-r backing tracks or pre-recorded sequences.  I really don't know why so many live performers in this genre are using these things to "fill in" their performances.  It's almost to the point where, sadly, the audience is ok with this. Maybe I just want to see musicians "suffer" when they play live!  (laughs)

My attitude is that a live musical experience is supposed to be just that- a LIVE musical experience.  If a musician is going to use extensive backing tracks, I'd prefer just to stay at home and listen to a cd of theirs.  It's funny how some musicians enjoy talking about how their live performances are  "on the edge", and yet they use such "safety nets" as cd-r's and the like.

Of course, I'm sure that using cd-r's has it's advantages in that you don't have to worry about creating as many things "on the fly".  But I've liked that feeling at the end of my few live gigs- the feeling that I went out there, created something from nothing, and did my best at it.  It might not have been as polished as using backing tracks, but the music created was created in that very moment, and was "real".

AV:  How do your live performances influence the creative process once you get back home and start creating again?

JP:  Actually, I've found that there's a bit of a "recovery" period from when I've played live.  This is because I generally feel "musically spent" after performing live.  Of course, it COULD also be that I'm a big wimp, too! (laughs)

My experience has been that playing live can bring some focus to what I'm doing musically.  There's not a lot of difference in my "live" sound and my "studio" sound, since all my records since Vestiges have been recorded "live" to DAT or computer.  It's musically satisfying for my to deal with all those layers of sound "live"- not because of any attitude of "look what I can do!" but because I enjoy the immediacy of what constructing everything live can do.  There have been times where, through a "wrong" note or a "wrong" equipment setting, I end up in a great new place musically that I never would have thought of had I been overdubbing layers of sound.

However, sometimes that "wrong" note really IS a "wrong note", and then it's a matter of deleting that sound file and starting over.

AV:  As a listener of ambient music it always seems to me to have a component of spirituality to it...do you find that your own spirituality influences your music during its creation?

JP:  I believe that one's "spirituality", however THAT is defined, influences everything a person does- including writing music.  To apply this to myself, my "spirituality" is often one of questions, not answers, and this, I feel, reflects itself in my music; what I do musically isn't exactly filled with that "I've got a lot of testosterone, I'm going to lead you by the nose to the exact place I want you to go!" type of thing!  My spirituality tends to lean towards fragility and comfort, as opposed to strength and domination, and I believe that my music reflects this.

AV:  As you look back on your releases for Hypnos, do you see your music growing and maturing as you go along?

JP:  It seems so to me.  Even if I weren't on Hypnos, I think my music would still be progressing, but I am so grateful to have a great and honest label like Hypnos "behind" my music, because just knowing that there is a place that will take great care of my music means that there's one less thing I have to worry about.

AV:  Lets talk about The Light Beyond. Tell me about what the Gathering is and how you originally made contact with Chuck van Zyl.

JP:  The Gatherings are a series of concerts in Philidelphia that are organized by Chuck van Zyl and Jeff Towne.  These guys do an INCREDIBLE job of putting on shows featuring music in the electronic/space/ambient genre- I've been blessed to have played two Gatherings so far.  Chuck has played my music on his radio show Star's End ever since the first cd came out, so I was more than glad to hear from him when he approached me about doing a Gathering.  I had heard from other musicians that the Gatherings were incredible things, and they are.  The audiences at the shows I played at have really blessed my heart- it was SO nice to be able to meet and talk with people who have sort of followed what I've done musically.  At both Gatherings I've played, I've come away with some great experiences, and some new friends.  I couldn't really ask for more than that.

AV:  You had gone there with the idea of presenting a "sneak preview" of your upcoming musical project to the audience of Stars End. Tell me about the concert itself and what you found when you reviewed the live tapes that you made during the event.

JP:  The Star's End "concert" was basically a "live on the air" concert at the radio station that airs Star's End.  It was late at night/early in the morning (around 2 am!!), and I set my gear up and thought I'd give the Star's End audience a "sneak preview" of what direction my next project would take.  I started to play, then Jeff Towne and Chuck van Zyl politely asked if they could just sit in the same room with me and watch and listen to what I was doing.  I said "of course!"  It was nice of them to ask, because I know that a lot of musicians like to be very alone and focused in that moment of creation, and I respect that.  But I wanted the good energy of those two guys to be around me as I created the music, so it was good to have them there as I was creating.  They talked, and laughed, and offered support.

I had started my music following a sort of "road map" as to what I would play.  It's hard to describe, but I just kind of make "notes" to myself regarding where I would like the music to head.  This way, I'm not locked into any certain pre-set musical expressions, but I have enough of a "plan" that I can keep in mind where the music was going.  The idea was that, after this "sneak preview" on Star's End, I'd head home and sort of "re-create" what I had done.  However, Chuck sent me a cd-r of the music, and I knew, the first time I listened to it, that I wouldn't be able to create anything that "spoke" what I wanted to say any clearer than the live on air performance.  So I loaded that cd-r into my computer, put a fade at the beginning and end of the piece, and it was done.

AV:  Do you ever do any collaborative work with other artists? If so what do you take away from such experiences and how does it add to your own style of performing and composing?

JP:  I tend to "contribute" to other musician's music rather than collaborate. I've only done one "proper" collaboration, in the sense of the word, and that was with Vidna Obmana on True Stories. I've contributed parts to a lot of musician's existing songs, including Alpha Wave Movement, Jon Jenkins, Kevin Keller, Ruben Garcia, and some recent contributions to some songs by Paul Avgerinos for some tracks for his upcoming cd.

Whenever I am faced with contributing something of mine to someone else's music, I always try to find a good "space" for it.  I never want anything I do to overwhelm what the other person contributed.

I think that any good collaboration should be like any good relationship; each persons brings what is unique about themselves into it in hopes of creating something beautiful.  The worst thing that can happen is if one collaborator "dominates" or the other acquiesces.  I don't necessarily think that the definition of a good collaboration is that "both parties agree on everything".  If both parties of a collaboration agree on everything, then one of those parties is unnecessary.  There should be an atmosphere of openess and honesty, where either party can express what they like or dislike about a certain piece of music/etc... without fear of angering the other person.  The end result should be music that is something completely new and different from both collaborators- the old cliche about the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

AV:  What are your views on where the genre of ambient music is headed in the years ahead? Will it ever grow beyond its current niche or is it better off being a small and intimate form of music? (big business tends to rip the soul out of many artists and the music that they compose and  I was just curious as to your ideas on why ambient music has stayed pretty much the same size)

JP:  In my opinion, any time you're dealing with instrumental music, you will generally have a pretty small scene.  We are so used to having lyrics with our songs, that we really don't know what to do with instrumental music of ANY kind, since it starts by asking us to fill in the blanks- to bring our OWN stories to the music.

You're right- "big business" CAN rip the soul out of many artists.  I know of more than a few people who, sadly, have had some pretty bad experiences with the "business end" of this genre.  That's why I believe that it is SO important as musicians to gaurd and nurture our love for simply creating the music.  I have told people before that when I stop releasing music on cd's, it will be completely because of the business/political end of this industry.  I will always love to create music, it's just pure joy for me.

But whether or not anyone ever hears that music- well, that's another story altogether.

If this "scene" becomes a very popular thing overnight- well, that would be great.  But it wouldn't "add" one thing to that wonderfully fulfilling sense I have today when I create a piece of music- that experience is already "full" for me.

AV:  What kinds of projects do you have in the works that we might be looking for from you in the next few months or even next year?

JP:  I'm working on my next solo cd, which (hopefully!) will be finished by the time the new baby arrives.  Yes- my wife and I are expecting again!  After that, there's a collaboration in the works, but it's a bit of a secret at the moment.

AV:  In closing, what is it that you would want listeners to take away from your music be it a live concert or playing your CDs in their players at home?

JP:  First of all, I'm grateful to anyone who takes the time to listen to my music.  If anything, I hope that someone would get that from my music: that I am grateful to them, I am grateful to the Universe, to be able to be playing this music and having someone take time out of their life to listen to it.  Time is our most precious treasure as people, so anytime someone spends it with my music, it's an honor.

I hope that the listeners would be able to sense that they are getting the best of what I have to offer musically.   I would hope that the listeners would hear that I am simply a "searcher", just like they are.  I have my own questions and puzzles to work through, just as they do.  Music helps me do this- whether it be music I write or music that others write.  And any time someone "invites" my music into their own personal space where their own questions and puzzles live- I am humbled and grateful.

AV:  Many thanks to you Jeff for taking the time to talk to us here at Ambient Visions and of course the best of luck with any and all of your future projects.

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RhoDeo 1730 Grooves

Hello,

Today's artist is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She began her career as a child singing gospel at the church of her father, minister C. L. Franklin's church. In 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, she achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as "Respect", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Think". These hits and more helped her to gain the title The Queen of Soul by the end of the 1960s decade. She has won a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is one of the best-selling artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Honored throughout her career including a 1987 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in which she became the first female performer to be inducted. ........ N'joy

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Aretha Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1942. A gifted singer and pianist, Franklin toured with her father's traveling revival show and later visited New York, where she signed with Columbia Records. Franklin went on to release several popular singles, many of which are now considered classics. In 1987, she became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2008 she won her 18th Grammy Award, making her one of the most honored artists in Grammy history.

The fourth of five children, Aretha Louise Franklin was born on March 25, 1942, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Baptist preacher Reverend Clarence La Vaughan "C. L." Franklin and Barbara Siggers Franklin, a gospel singer. Franklin's parents separated by the time she was six, and four years later her mother succumbed to a heart attack. Guided by C. L.'s preaching assignments, the family relocated to Detroit, Michigan. C. L. eventually landed at New Bethel Baptist Church, where he gained national renown as a preacher.

Aretha Franklin's musical gifts became apparent at an early age. Largely self-taught, she was regarded as a child prodigy. A gifted pianist with a powerful voice, Franklin got her start singing in front of her father's congregation. By the age of 14, she had recorded some of her earliest tracks at his church, which were released by a small label as the album Songs of Faith in 1956. She also performed with C. L.'s traveling revival show and, while on tour, befriended gospel greats such as Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke and Clara Ward.

But life on the road also exposed Franklin to adult behaviors, she gave birth to her first son, Clarence, shortly after she turned 14. A second child followed two years later both with unnamed fathers ! (Think of it what you will -, i know i do)  After a brief hiatus, Franklin returned to performing and followed heroes such as Cooke and Dinah Washington into pop and blues territory. In 1960, with her father's blessing, Franklin traveled to New York, where after being courted by several labels, including Motown and RCA, she signed with Columbia Records, who released the album Aretha in 1961.

Though two tracks from Aretha would make the R&B Top 10, a bigger success came that same year with the single "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody," which crossed over to No. 37 on the pop charts. But while Franklin enjoyed moderate results with her recordings over the next few years, they failed to fully showcase her immense talent. In 1966, she and her new husband and manager, Ted White, decided a move was in order, and Franklin signed to Atlantic. Producer Jerry Wexler immediately shuttled Franklin to the studios at the Florence Alabama Musical Emporium.

Backed by the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section—which included session guitarists Eric Clapton and Duane Allman—Aretha recorded the single "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)." In the midst of the recording sessions, White quarreled with a member of the band, and White and Franklin left abruptly. But as the single became a massive Top 10 hit, Franklin re-emerged in New York and was able to complete the partially recorded track, "Do Right Woman—Do Right Man."

Hitting her stride in 1967 and 1968, Franklin churned out a string of hit singles that would become enduring classics, showcasing Franklin's powerful voice and gospel roots in a pop framework. In 1967, the album I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) was released, and the first song on the album, "Respect"—an empowered cover of an Otis Redding track—reached No. 1 on both the R&B and pop charts and won Aretha her first two Grammy Awards. She also had Top 10 hits with "Baby I Love You,'' "Think," "Chain of Fools,'' "I Say a Little Prayer," "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

Franklin's chart dominance soon earned her the title "Queen of Soul," while at the same time she also became a symbol of black empowerment during the civil rights movement of the time. In 1968, Franklin was enlisted to perform at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during which she paid tribute to her father's fallen friend with a heartfelt rendition of "Precious Lord." Later that year, she was also selected to sing the national anthem to begin the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Amidst this newfound success, Franklin experienced upheaval in her personal life, and she and White divorced in 1969. But this did not slow Franklin's steady rise, and the new decade brought more hit singles, including "Don't Play That Song," "Spanish Harlem" and her cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." Spurred by Mahalia Jackson's passing and a subsequent resurgence of interest in gospel music, Franklin returned to her musical origins for the 1972 album Amazing Grace, which sold more than 2 million copies and went on to become the best-selling gospel album at the time.

Franklin's success continued throughout the 1970s, as she branched out to work with producers such as Curtis Mayfield and Quincy Jones and expanded her repertoire to include rock and pop covers. Along the way, she took home eight consecutive Grammy Awards for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance, the last coming for her 1974 single "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing."

But by 1975, Franklin's sound was fading into the background with the onset of the disco craze, and an emerging set of young black singers, such as Chaka Khan and Donna Summer, began to eclipse Franklin's career. She did, however, find a brief respite from slumping sales with the 1976 soundtrack to the Warner Brothers film Sparkle—which topped the R&B charts and made the Top 20 in pop—as well as an invitation to perform at the 1977 presidential inauguration of Jimmy Carter. In 1978, she also remarried, to actor Glynn Turman.

A string of chart failures ended Franklin's relationship with Atlantic in 1979. The same year, her father was hospitalized after a burglary attempt in his home left him in a coma. As her popularity waned and her father's health declined, Franklin was also saddled with a massive bill from the IRS. However, a cameo in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers helped Franklin revive her flagging career. Performing "Think'' alongside comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd exposed her to a new generation of R&B lovers, and she soon signed to Arista Records.

Her new label released 1982's Jump To It, an album that enjoyed huge success on the R&B charts and earned Franklin a Grammy nomination. Two years later, she endured a divorce from Turman as well as the death of her father.

In 1985, Franklin returned to the top of the charts with a smash-hit album: the polished pop record Who's Zoomin' Who? Featuring the single "Freeway of Love," as well as a collaboration with the popular rock band the Eurythmics, the record became Aretha's biggest-selling album yet. Her follow-up, 1986's Aretha, also charted well and eventually went gold, and her duet with British singer George Michael, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me),'' hit No. 1 on the pop charts.

In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Detroit. That same year, she released the album One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, which won the Grammy for Best Soul Gospel Performance.

Following another relatively quiet period in her career, in 1993, Franklin was invited to sing at the inauguration of Bill Clinton, and the following year she received both a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Kennedy Center Honors. She would also be the focus of multiple documentaries and tributes as the decade progressed. Nearing its conclusion, Franklin reprised her former role in Blues Brothers 2000, released the gold-selling "A Rose Is Still a Rose" and stood in for Luciano Pavarotti, who was too ill to accept his Lifetime Achievement Award, with her rendition of "Nessun Dorma" commanding stellar reviews.
So Damn Happy

In 2003, Franklin released her final studio album on Arista, So Damn Happy, and left the label to found Aretha Records. Two years later, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and became the second woman ever to be inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame. In 2008, she received her 18th Grammy Award for "Never Gonna Break My Faith"—a collaboration with Mary J. Blige—and was tapped to sing at the 2009 presidential inauguration of Barack Obama.  

With 18 Grammys under her belt, Franklin is one of the most honored artists in Grammy history, ranked among the likes of Alison Krauss, Adele and Beyoncé Knowles. In 2011, Franklin released her first album on her own label, A Woman Falling Out of Love. To support the project, she performed several concerts, including a two-night stint at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York. With fans and critics alike impressed with her performances, she successfully proved that the Queen of Soul still reigns supreme.

In 2014, Franklin underscored that point with Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, which reached No. 13 on the pop charts and No. 3 R&B. In February 2017, the 74-year-old Queen of Soul told Detroit radio station WDIV Local 4 that she is collaborating with Stevie Wonder to release a new album to be recorded in Detroit and released in September. “I must tell you, I am retiring this year," she said in the interview, adding: "I feel very, very enriched and satisfied with respect to where my career came from and where it is now. I’ll be pretty much satisfied, but I’m not going to go anywhere and just sit down and do nothing. That wouldn’t be good either.”

"American history wells up when Aretha sings", president Obama explained his emotional response to her performance of "A Natural Woman" at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors. "Nobody embodies more fully the connection between the African-American spiritual, the blues, R&B, rock and roll--the way that hardship and sorrow were transformed into something full of beauty and vitality and hope".

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Aretha: With The Ray Bryant Combo is the second studio album by American singer songwriter, Aretha Franklin, released on February 27, 1961 by Columbia Records. The album is Aretha's first release for Columbia, and is also known under its working title Right Now It's Aretha and sometimes simply as Aretha.[2] Following in the footsteps of her close friend Sam Cooke, Aretha was "discovered" by famed Columbia Records producer John H. Hammond, who on the cover notes of the 1973 edition of "The Great Aretha Franklin: The First 12 Sides" mentions, that she was in fact recommended by the composer Curtis Reginald Lewis. With the support of her father, Reverend C.L. Franklin, Aretha ventured out to New York City's Columbia Record Studios to record her debut album for the label. Hammond paired Aretha Franklin with Ray Bryant, and combo and arranger J. Leslie McFarland, while taking charge of the album's production, which was received to mixed reviews.

The album showcases a young Aretha Franklin (only 18 nearly 19 years old, at the time of these recordings), covering a range of jazz and pop standards. Columbia Records couldn't clearly classify Aretha's sound, as either jazz or R&B. Aretha's subsequent albums would show her moving from the realms of both sounds, and audiences as she tries to define her "own soulful sound". Combining a completely natural and uninhibited vocal style with an irresistible rhythmic sense, Aretha Franklin established herself as one of the hottest new performers in show business and one likely to set new standards in the entertainment industry.

Aretha Franklin - Aretha (with the Ray Bryant Combo)    (flac  330mb)

01 Won't Be Long 3:22
02 Over The Rainbow 2:38
03 Love Is The Only Thing 2:44
04 Sweet Lover 3:21
05 All Night Long 3:05
06 Who Needs You? 2:49
07 Right Now 2:22
08 Are You Sure 2:40
09 Maybe I'm A Fool 3:16
10 It Ain't Necessarily So 3:08
11 (Blue) By Myself 2:38
12 Today I Sing The Blues 2:45
BoNus
13 Are You Sure (Rehearsal)
14 Who Needs You (Take 9)
15 Right Now (Take 1)
16 Maybe I'm A Fool (Take 4)
17 By Myself [mono mixes]
18 Won't Be Long [mono mixes]
19 All Night Long [mono mixes]
20 Love Is The Only Thing [mono mixes]
21 Right Now [mono mixes]
22 Today I Sing The Blues [mono mixes]

Aretha Franklin - Aretha (with the Ray Bryant Combo)  (ogg   138mb)

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"The Tender, the Moving, the Swinging Aretha Franklin" is the fourth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, Released on August 13, 1962 by Columbia Records. It was her first album to achieve any commercial success, reaching #69 on the Billboard pop album charts. Unlike its predecessor, however, it did not have a hit single. The album was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios, 799 Seventh Avenue, New York. "Aretha is a natural. No matter what she sings - new songs like Without the One You Love (which she herself wrote) and Don't Cry, Baby or time-tested standards like Try a Little Tenderness and I Apologize - she is completely free, uninhibited and thrilling", Billy James, said. "...Every step of the way, Aretha has grown. She has developed strength, assurance and style. She can be tender and moving, and she can swing. But there are none of the phony "hup's", "hey's" and "ho's" that are used liberally by performers anxious to tell the world that they are swingers. Instead, Aretha uses something else: talent. In a word, is a natural."

Aretha Franklin - The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin    (flac 273mb)


01 Don't Cry, Baby 3:23
02 Try a Little Tenderness 3:16
03 Apologize 2:53
04 Without the One You Love 2:48
05 Look for the Silver Lining 3:04
06 I'm Sitting on Top of the World 2:42
07Just for a Thrill 2:33
08 God Bless the Child 3:03
09 I'm Wandering 3:27
10 How Deep Is the Ocean 2:48
11 I Don't Know You Anymore 2:50
12 Lover Come Back to Me 2:35
Bonus
13 Trouble In Mind 2:15
14 Without the One You Love 2:46
15 Don't Cry, Baby 3:14
16 I'm Wandering 3:25
17 Try a Little Tenderness 3:14
18 I Apologize 2:52
19 Lover Come Back to Me 2:34
20 I Don't Know You Anymore 2:47

Aretha Franklin - The Tender, The Moving, The Swinging Aretha Franklin  (ogg  92mb)

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What were Columbia doing giving this overwhelming powerful young singer, with her roots deep in gospel and the blues, giving her a bunch of standards to sing? I can only guess: I presume Columbia didn’t want Franklin to be labelled a Rhythm and Blues singer, but, like Ray Charles, appeal to an audience that was much broader than the core R&B audience, i.e., to appeal to a white audience who had a greater disposable income. I also presume they didn’t want her to appeal just to kids, who may have bought singles, but were a much smaller market for the more expensive LP. Hindsight tells us there was a major miscalculation here: the great boom in record sales that occurred during the 1960s depended on a growingly prosperous youth market that could now afford LP’s and wanted the new pop, rock, soul, etc., not rehashes of the songs from their parents’ time. But in a way it is the very strangeness of these early Aretha Franklin albums that intrigue.

There can be little doubt that with her later albums for Atlantic Franklin had material that was much more suited to her talents, but the best tracks on this album have a fascination in the tension between the singing style and the songs. Listen to the first track, You Made Me Love You, a song dating back to 1913, which had been popularized by Al Jolson, Judy Garland and Doris Day, amongst others. It is a nice song with a good melody and witty romantic lyrics (i.e., it is a good Tin Pan Alley song); the arrangement is pleasant, the strings are hardly innovative but they are nice enough. And then Franklin hollers it out, her singing full of a heart on the sleeve emotion that sweeps away the pleasant wittiness of the song. Maybe Columbia thought of Franklin as their new Black Judy Garland, belting out her songs in a big theatrical style (on her previous album Franklin has sung Over the Rainbow, and back in 1939 You Made Me Want to Love You had been the B-Side to Garland’s big hit) – but, despite their similarities, Franklin and Garland came out of very different traditions, Franklin, of course, building on the emotional and devotional impact of gospel, a very different sensibility to the white show music of Garland. And, as I said, it is this dislocation between material/arrangement and singing style that both dooms it to failure and yet is fascinating.

Aretha Franklin - The Electrifying Aretha Franklin     (flac 284mb)

01 You Made Me Love You 2:18
02 I Told You So 2:43
03 Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody 2:21
04 Nobody Like You 2:20
05 Exactly Like You 2:35
06 It's So Heartbreakin' 2:40
07 Rough Lover 2:52
08 Blue Holiday 2:58
09 Just For You 2:23
10 That Lucky Old Sun 3:37
11 I Surrender, Dear 2:44
12 Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive 2:17
Bonus
13 Introduction To Hard Times 0:31
14 Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) 3:08
15 When They Ask About You 2:59
16 Operation Heartbreak 2:59
Mono Mixes
17 I Surrender, Dear 2:46
18 Rough Lover 2:47
19 Kissin' By The Mistletoe 2:22

. Aretha Franklin - The Electrifying Aretha Franklin    (ogg  108mb)

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Laughing on the Outside is the fifth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, Released on August 12, 1963 by Columbia Records. The album was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York and Hollywood. These sessions found a 21-year-old Aretha Franklin recording Jazz Music and Pop Music standards, from Johnny Mercer to Duke Ellington. She is backed by the arrangements of Columbia producer Robert Mersey. One of the most popular songs from the album is Aretha's interpretation of the classic "Skylark". A minute and fifty-eight seconds into the song, Aretha sings the word "Skylark" with power and emotion. This was one of the first times in which Aretha recorded one of her written compositions, "I Wonder (Where Are You Tonight)", on an album.

Aretha Franklin - Laughing On The Outside   (flac 303mb)

01 Skylark 2:49
02 For All We Know 3:25
03 Make Someone Happy 3:48
04 I Wonder (Where You Are Tonight) 3:16
05 Solitude 3:50
06 Laughing On The Outside 3:14
07 Say It Isn't So 3:05
08 Until The Real Thing Comes Along 3:04
09 If Ever I Would Leave You 4:04
10 Where Are You? 3:50
11 Mr. Ugly 3:22
12 I Wanna Be Around 2:25
Bonus
13 Ol' Man River 4:01
Mono Mixes
14 You've Got Her 2:40
15 Here's Where I Came In 2:53
16 Say It Isn't So 3:08

. Aretha Franklin - Laughing On The Outside  (ogg  112mb)

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RhoDeo 1730 Re-Ups 106

Hello, skipped a few weeks, not that many correct requests but hey here we go, that's to say one of my back up disks gave of warnings that could have been taken care of were it not for the fact that microsoft nerds assume a user checks the event viewer everyother day, i didn't and now a bad block fucks up the disk where i kept all my beats, part of my sundaze collection and my movie collection, in all almost 2 terabyte off line. The disk starts and gets a ping but then it freezes my computer until i unplug it, a bizarre run around which blocks me to cure the disk. Haven't tried linux yet as i've been away, hopefully i get it going again the coming week(s), it means that 2 correct requests can't be re-upped now.


7 correct requests this week, 3 too recent (again !), in short another batch of 24 re-ups, 9 for the first time in Flac.

These days i'm making an effort to re-up, it will satisfy a small number of people which means its likely the update will  expire relatively quickly again as its interest that keeps it live. Nevertheless here's your chance ... asks for re-up in the comments section at the page where the expired link resides, or it will be discarded by me. ....requests are satisfied on a first come first go basis. ...updates will be posted here remember to request from the page where the link died! To keep re-ups interesting to my regular visitors i will only re-up files that are at least 12 months old (the older the better as far as i am concerned), and please check the previous update request if it's less then a year old i won't re-up either.

Looka here , requests fulfilled up to July 27th.... N'Joy

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1x Grooves NOW In Flac (James Brown - The CD)


2x Sundaze NOW in Flac (The Future Sound of London ( FSOL) - Lifeforms EP, Rothko - Forty Years To Find A Voice)


6x Denmark NOW In Flac ( Laid Back - Keep Smiling, Safri Duo - Episode 2, Mew - Frengers, Saybia - Live @ O13, Bliss - Quiet Letters, Lampshade - Because Trees Can Fly)


5x Aetix Back In Flac (Test Dept. - Ecstacy Under Duress, Test Dept. - Beating a Retreat, Test Dept. - Atonal & Hamburg “Live”, Test Dept.- Unacceptable Face Freedom, Test Dept. - The Faces Of Freedom EP)


4x Sundaze Back In Flac (Isao Tomita - The Planets, Isao Tomita - The Bermuda Triangle, Isao Tomita - Grand Canyon Suite, Isao Tomita - The Mind of the Universe )


3x Aetix Back In Flac ( Martha and The Muffins - Metro +, Martha And The Muffins - The Ice Age, Martha And The Muffins - Danseparc)


3x Roots Back In Flac (Bob Marley & Wailers - Survival, Bob Marley & Wailers - Uprising, Bob Marley - Legend Remixes )




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RhoDeo 1730 Aetix

Hello, the Tour is over, time for some French music


Today's artists are a French pop/rock and new wave band, formed in Paris in 1981. The band was very successful in the Francophonie, in continental Europe and Latin America in the 1980s, with songs like "L'Aventurier" and "Canary Bay". Following the release of several critically acclaimed, but commercially unsuccessful, albums in the 1990s, the group returned to stardom with the release of Paradize in 2002. The band has sold over 10 million albums and singles, making them one of the best selling French bands.....N'Joy

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Indochine (French for Indochina) was formed in 1981 by two Frenchmen in their early twenties, Nicola Sirkis and Dominique Nicolas, in Paris. They soon added Dimitri Bodianski, the cousin of one of Nicola’s friends. They gave their first concert at Le Rose Bonbon, a café in Paris on 29 September 1981. This brief performance on stage earned them their first contract with a record company.

They recorded their first single in November 1981. It included two songs, "Dizzidence Politik" and "Françoise", but drew more attention from critics than from the mainstream media and only reached a limited audience. Stéphane Sirkis, Nicola’s twin brother who had already performed with the band on stage, officially joined the band, and in April 1982 the group recorded their first album, L'Aventurier, which sold more than 250,000 copies. The album was well received by the press and by an emerging new wave audience.Indochine (French for Indochina) was formed in 1981 by two Frenchmen in their early twenties, Nicola Sirkis and Dominique Nicolas, in Paris. They soon added Dimitri Bodianski, the cousin of one of Nicola’s friends.

They gave their first concert at Le Rose Bonbon, a café in Paris on 29 September 1981. This brief performance on stage earned them their first contract with a record company. They recorded their first single in November 1981. It included two songs, "Dizzidence Politik" and "Françoise", but drew more attention from critics than from the mainstream media and only reached a limited audience.

Stéphane Sirkis, Nicola’s twin brother who had already performed with the band on stage, officially joined the band, and in April 1982 the group recorded their first album, L'Aventurier, which sold more than 250,000 copies. The album was well received by the press and by an emerging new wave audience. L'aventurier became the song of the summer 1982 in france. In 1983, Indochine released a second album entitled Le Péril Jaune ("Yellow Peril") which sold 225,000 copies. Indochine had by this stage become a major act in French music. In 1984, the band toured France. They were also successful in Scandinavia, most notably in Sweden.

By 1985, they had achieved a large following, reflected by the success of such songs as "Troisième sexe" ("third sex"), "Canary Bay", and "Trois nuits par semaine". Their third album, 3, sold 750,000 copies in Europe. Serge Gainsbourg directed the video to "Tes yeux noirs", one of the group's most successful songs. Indochine becomes the largest "new wave" band in France. In 1986, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the band, Indochine decided to release the recording of the concert given at the Zénith in Paris.

Their fourth album, 7000 Danses, produced by Joe Glasman, was released in 1987. It sold about 320,000 copies making it a successful album though far less so than its predecessor, 3. This is partly due to the band's efforts to produce a less mainstream, commercial album 7000 Danses was also released amidst a polemic stemming from rock critics claiming that Indochine were a mere copy of British band The Cure. In spite of the polemic, the public continued to support the group. In March 1988, Indochine began their world tour going to Montreal, Canada and Lima, Peru. They sold 300,000 copies of the 33 tours Live au Zénith in early 1987.

Drained after many months touring, the band took a break. Their fifth studio album, Le Baiser was released in early 1990. Fans were shocked to discover that Dimitri Bodianski was no longer part of the group, having decided to leave the band in January 1989 . His departure can be attributed to a number of reasons. First of all, Indochine’s sound had evolved over the years and Bodianski found he had less and less to do as a saxophonist. He was also feeling pressure at home having recently become a father. All this contributed to tension between him and the rest of the band. Bodianski remains a much loved member of the original Indochine line-up and since his departure has guest starred with the band on stage.

1991 marked Indochine’s tenth anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, Le Birthday Album was released. It was a best of compilation, including one new track, "La Guerre Est Finie" ("The War Is Over"), which was released as a single. The album’s success was considerable (it sold 600,000 copies across Europe) and rekindled interest in the group. However, the single’s title proved unfortunate in light of the fact that the Persian Gulf War had just started at the time. For this reason, many radio stations opted not to play the track.

Un jour dans notre vie, their sixth studio album, was released in 1993. It proved unsuccessful, both commercially and critically. On 27 February 1999, Stéphane Sirkis, guitarist, keyboardist and Nicola's twin brother, died at the age of 39 of hepatitis. He had requested that the band continue after his death. On October 2000, the band started a small but successful acoustic tour named Nuits Intimes. The album is released in January 2001.

2001 begins. Nicola and Oli de Sat compose most of the album Paradize that would be released the next year. Year Scott, Camille Laurens, Mickey 3D, Gerard Manset, Jean-Louis Murat and Melissa Auf Der Maur collaborated on the album. In 2002, they enjoyed renewed success with the Paradize album which sold 1,000,000 copies, including the chart topper J'ai demandé à la lune. This album has marked a change in aesthetics and genre, moving towards a darker tone and more introspective lyrics, influenced by popular acts such as Nine Inch Nails, Placebo and Marilyn Manson.

In 2003, the band received the MTV Europe Music Awards for: "Best French Act”, the NRJ Music Awards for: "Album of the year" and La Victoires de la Musique for: "Best pop album of the year" In December 2005, Indochine returned with Alice & June, featuring a collaboration with Placebo frontman Brian Molko. On 6 and 7 June 2006, the group had a concert in Hanoi Opera House to celebrate their 25th anniversary. In December 2007, Indochine released a triple live DVD and double CD album entitled Alice & June Tour. The album featured the full concert recorded in Lille, France in March 2007.

In 2008 Indochine joins the Reporters Sans Frontières campaign, for the boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games’s opening ceremony. The cover of the 80´s single ‘You Spin me Round’ is released. Their 11th studio album, La République des Meteors, was released on 9 March 2009. The album marked a change in their musical style, slowly moving away from the dark and quirky realms they had explored with "Paradize" and "Alice & June".
2010s. Indochine was the first French band to perform at the Stade de France, on 26 June 2010 their biggest gig ever, sold out and in front of 80,000 people.

In November 2012, the band released their new single Memoria, from their upcoming album Black City Parade.
Black City Parade was released on 11 February 2013 with much anticipation from the fans. The album, despite its almost gloomy cover art, features much brighter and warmer music than the last two albums. The band seemed to want include references to their synthpop and new wave beginnings. Indochine played several sold out shows during the first leg of the "Black City Tour" which kicked off on 21 February 2013. Five legs are planned for the "Black City Tour". The band stated that they will be playing around the world. They later announced that they will return to the Stade de France on 27 June 2014.

The second single for Black City Parade was College Boy, a song widely acknowledged to narrate the life of a homosexual teenage boy dealing with bashing and harassment. The video for the single was directed by Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan. The video premiered online with a disclaimer stating that it contained violent scenes and would not be suitable for a young audience. The video depicts a young male student facing mobbing and harassment from his schoolmates. The video culminates in him being brutally crucified and shot in the torso by his fellow students. Many criticisms have poured over the Internet about whether the video should be broadcast or not.

The band played two nights at the Stade de France on 27 & 28 June 2014. They followed the stadium concerts with a much smaller show at London's O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on 14 July 2014. In April 2015 the band undertook the eight date Europe City Club Tour, which saw the band extend beyond its Francophone base by visiting Spain, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. Festival appearances in 2016: at Papillons De Nuit (May 20), Les Ardentes (July 6), Carcassonne festival (July 15), Sion Sous Les Etoiles (July 18), Poupet (July 22), La Fête Du Bruit (August 12th) and Cabaret Vert (August 25). Their 13th album is scheduled for release this year.

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L'Aventurier (The Adventurer) is the first (mini) studio album of Indochine, released in 1982. The title itself "L'Aventurier" was a huge success during the same year, becoming one of the band's classic songs. What more do you need? This is classic 80's and just an all around happy- make you feel good album. Indochine, are very political but most Americans would never know because they sing in French; however, Indochine gives you chance to practice your French as you will find yourself singing along very quickly. For the time (1982) it was rock and electronique music at its best.

 Indochine - L'Aventurier (flac  145mb)

01 L'Aventurier 3:49
02 L'Opportuniste 2:23
03 Leila 3:54
04 Docteur Love 2:31
05 Indochine (Les 7 Jours De Pékin) 2:25
06 Dizzidence Politik (Pacifik Version) 4:15
07 Francoise (Qu'est-Ce Qui T'as Pris) 2:36

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"The Yellow Peril", released in 1983, is stuck between the two commercial successes of Indochina, and if a cohort of fans followed them well at the time, we note that this opus is the least Known from the beginnings of Indochina. No radio success here, except perhaps the two tracks "Miss Paramount" and "Kao Bang", however only appreciated by the "die-hard" group.

Yet, underestimating this opus would be a serious mistake, since we certainly hold here, the best piece of the French group. If "3" remains a very good opus because of its effectiveness "tubesque" which is no longer to prove, "The yellow peril", despite its previous release, is almost more daring. The album is more appealing to dreams, to fantasy, if only through this orientalism, frozen somewhere in the colonies of the thirties and totally artificial, but furiously successful.

The dryness of the drum machines, the infernal rhythmic mechanics leaves from the beginning of the album, with "The dryness of the Mekong", title-synthesis of the style of this album. The hardness of the rhythm, and the aerial / hovering aspect of synthesizers and guitars, deliberately reverberated and filled with echo. Still in order to create an atmosphere, one will note "East of Java", more sober closing title, "Razzia" instrumentalised so as to create a gambling hall filled with smoke and money not always very clean, "Okinawa" more posed, and "Red Pavilion" filled with an aspect of contemplation of the loved one (or the blow of a night, to you to see ...).

The production is lacking in 'oomph' ... but no reason to appreciate this opus, as it is surely better like that. Despite these shortcomings, "The yellow peril" remains the album most striking of the group for me. Truly gripping, we have here an album that makes us see the landscapes of Asia, and before which one is like a kid lost before the immensity. In short a big thrill.

Indochine - Le Peril Jaune (flac 218mb)

01 Le Péril Jaune (Ouverture) 0:48
02 Le Sécheresse Du Mekong 3:28
03 Razzia 2:38
04 Pavillon Rouge 3:08
05 Okinawa 4:53
06 Tankin 2:11
07 Miss Paramount 3:00
08 Shangai 2:40
09 Kao-Bang 5:29
10 A L'Est De Java 5:03
11 Le Péril Jaune (Fermeture) 1:31

Indochine - Le Peril Jaune   (ogg  89mb)

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This is not dark,and this is not like The Cure, this is more like joyful, latin pop rock.Luminous, elaborated and sophisticated still simple guitar based thoughtful 80's pop songs in a way La Union or Mecano used to do though Indochine was first,and much better than any of these bands, what can you expect from a band with such song titles as Tiomkin or Punishment Park? It certainly pleases your ear and mind. "3eme Sexe" was the inspiration for Mylène Farmer's song "Sans contrefaçon". Miss Kittin covered "3ème Sexe" for her album I Com.

 Indochine - 3 (flac 260mb)

01 3e Sexe 4:55
02 Canary Bay 5:21
03 Monte Cristo 4:30
04 Salômbo 5:07
05 Hors-la-loi 3:05
06 A L'assaut (Des Ombres Sur L'O) 3:46
07 Trois Nuits Par Semaine 5:09
08 Le Train Sauvage 3:17
09 Tes Yeux Noirs 4:50

Indochine - 3   (ogg  96mb)

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Indochine is a strong Pop Band. This album is one of their most accomplished, if not their greatest of all. 7000 Danses opens like a fairy tale with La Buddha Affaire: an instrumental-classical-like-song powered by a wonderful orchestration. From there, l'Indochine let you penetrate into a mystical trip. The main composer, a Guitar-Hero named Dominik Nicolas, created a unic sound while twanging like Hank Marvin on a Fender Mustang. That unic "Indosound" will haunt you forever after having heard songs like Les Citadelles, La Machine À Rattraper Le Temps and Une Maison Perdue...

But Indochine isn't only handsome music, it's also wonderful lyrics. Nicolas Sirkis' poésie is universal. The beauty of French is at its peak. Sirkis' playing with words and senses making unusual Love and Sex stories, always with a poetic elegance. And there's also great wit in Les Tzars. In a nutshell, it's the most complete and complex of all Indochine's albums... highly recommendable....

Indochine - 7000 Danses (flac  300mb)
 
01 La Bûddha Affaire 2:43
02 Les Citadelles 3:51
03 La Chevauchée Des Champs De Blé 5:17
04 Il Y A Un Risque (Le Mépris) 4:30
05 Les Tzars 4:38
06 La Machine À Rattraper Le Temps 5:05
07 Un Grand Carnaval 4:04
08 7000 Danses 6:03
09 Une Maison Perdue... 5:55

Indochine - 7000 Danses   (ogg   107mb)

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RhoDeo 1730 Roots

Hello,


Today's artist is influenced by Brazilian pop and the music of her native Argentina, she spent much time in America soaking up jazz and R&B sensibilities, all of which inform her singing. The daughter of a jazz saxophone player, Anders studied classical guitar while a child but moved to piano study at a Buenos Aires conservatory. She spent much time in New York as wel. ...N'Joy

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Buenos Aires, Argentina. A long tradition of music ran through the family into which Anders was born March 17, 1972. She studied classical guitar both privately and at a conservatory but she was also influenced by her father, Jorge Anders (b. 18 April 1939, Buenos Aires, Argentina) who played jazz saxophone. In time, this influence proved stronger than that of the classical repertoire. At the age of 14 she was performing in Buenos Aires, playing guitar and singing, but through visits to her father in New York City, she consolidated her links to jazz. During the 80s, her father arranged for the bands of Mel Lewis and Machito, and he had spells playing and occasionally recording with Duke Ellington and Butch Miles. Upon completion of her high school education, Anders moved permanently to New York where she studied orchestration for brass and strings with Don Sebesky. She also began singing in clubs, performing with artists such as Marc Anthony, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and Grover Washington Jnr. , and also led her own group. At one point she sent an unsolicited tape to Warner Brothers Records who reacted positively but did not at that time offer a contract.

Anders then spent some time back in Argentina before returning to New York to resume her studies. Late in 1996 she toured Japan and attracted sufficient attention to warrant an album recorded especially for that market, Fantasia for which she used the name Beleza. After another tour of Japan the following year, promoting her album, she again returned to New York where she recorded a duet with Michael Franks. Once again, she encountered Warner Brothers and this time was offered a recording contract. In her performances, for the most part, Anders uses her own compositions and co-compositions. Her vocal style draws upon her jazz influences, such as contrasting saxophonists Stan Getz and John Coltrane. As a consequence, her phrasing is strongly jazz influenced. When she sings in a contemporary pop or R&B manner, her work is permeated by the musical sounds of her homeland, most notably by the gently persuasive Latin beat that provides a fluid base to her work.

After sending a demo tape into Warner Jazz, Anders signed a contract and released Wanting in August 1998.
 Gabriela also started what would become a very successful career doing sessions for radio and television on the studio scene in New York and Los Angeles. In 1999 she landed a deal with the American label, Warner Brothers Jazz. Her first album for them, “Wanting”, elicited much praise for Anders’ musical vision and impassioned vocal style. It featured arrangements and production by George Duke, Paul Brown, Allain Mallet and Anders herself. Gabriela wrote or co-wrote ten of the album’s twelve tracks and toured the US, Europe and Asia in support of the release. Her unique marriage of Brazilian, Latin and Jazz led to Vogue and People Magazine describing Anders and her music as “exotic and bold”, “wonderfully soulful”, and “one of the most distinctive new voices to hit the music scene in years”.

While on Warner, she also recorded with Al Jarreau, Bob James Erik Bennet and Michael Franks. She twice performed at the Montreaux Jazz Festival with George Duke’s band.  Her second record for Warner, “Gabriela”, featured an array of world-class sidemen, including Christian McBride, Amir “Questlove” Thompson and Kirk Whalum. Again, she contributed ten of the album’s twelve tracks. In 2004, Gabriela recorded “Last Tango In Rio” for Narada/EMI and JVC Japan, and in 2008, her album “Bossa Beleza” featured her own music as well as her arrangements of Brazilian standards - an idiom close to her musical heart since her early days as a student in Buenos Aires - and contemporary versions of some of the music of one of her favorite artists, Billie Holiday.

On Gabriela Anders' 2015 CD, “Cool Again”, the singer / vocal orchestrator / songwriter / bandleader tracks live with an array of stellar sidemen including guitarist Wayne Krantz and bassist Anthony Jackson. The music: funky, soulful pop-jazz, strikingly invigorated by Gabriela's improvisational nature and spontaneous approach.
Gabriela Anders is also the director, arranger and vocalist for her new ensemble, "Los Dukes": an 8-piece band featuring some of the best Latin jazz players in NYC. "Los Dukes" play the music of Duke Ellington in a wide range of iconic Latin American styles - baion, merengue, cha-cha, bolero, reggae, mambo and more. One of very few jazz vocalist/arrangers on the scene, Gabriela puts her stamp of unique creativity on this unexpected format with incendiary results.

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Gabriela Anders got her big break singing a duet with soft jazz giant Michael Franks, and like that new age patriarch, Anders wraps laid-back vocals around even more tranquil rhythms. It's all very calming and proficient and breezy. And also bland as hell. Like her mentor, Anders has a hard time injecting any soul into her work. Wanting, her debut album, mixes bits of her Argentine heritage with late-'70s California jazz; so, Brazilian music coasts along with soft and hazy saxophone fills and tapping percussion leads. It all can be very pretty -- the opening "Fire of Love" represents Anders at her most relaxed and relaxing. All songs were acceptable,and the title song & the duet with Eric Benet was some of his best work. This album also benefits from having George Duke & Paul Brown as producers.This is smooth jazz at it's mellow best, as well as a sensational debut. This girl has it. Pour yourself a nice glass of wine, put Gabriela on your stereo and take a mind trip to your favorite jazz club or Beach...enjoy!!!!

Gabriela Anders - Wanting (flac  359mb)

01 Fire Of Love 4:17
02 The Girl From Ipanema 4:24
03 Wanting 4:39
04 Forever 5:00
05 You Know What It's Like 4:45
06 Seven Days 5:40
07 Just An Hour 6:03
08 Fantasía 5:07
09 I'll Be Loving You 4:12
10 Love Is So Unkind 3:48
11 Feels So Good 5:10
12 Brasileria 3:40

Gabriela Anders - Wanting   (ogg  134mb)

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Argentinian-born singer Gabriela Anders' music is exotic and sultry, with the funky infusion of a sensual, tropical beat. Gabriela Anders continues a journey of musical excellence and introspection with her new release, "Eclectica", a collection of Brazilian, R&B and jazz- influenced songs, now including two additional tracks, "Far away" and "Love so right". "Eclectica": a sultry, exotic sound with irresistible grooves, punctuated by intensely soulful vocals. Anders' voice seduces, and her impassioned ideas and desires are enthralling. Says Anders, "Growing as a musician is absolutely the most important thing to me" Produced by Sonic Soul, Eastriverjoint and Gabriela herself, Eclectica showcases Anders' ability to push traditional boundaries and transcend genres and formats while featuring some of today's most soulful musicians: Wayne Krantz, Negro Hernandez, John Benitez, Ron Lawrence, Cidinho, Café, Cliff Lyons, Rick Savage, Luis Bonilla, Hector Martignon, Vince Cherico, Hami Marqui Dair, Susan Youngblood, Sammy Merendino, Ross Traut, Reggie Hamilton and Otmaro Ruiz. Most of the songs and lyrics are by Anders, as are the arrangements. The first single, the appealingly warm "Together Again", is Gabriela's homage to her love land, Brazil. The Latin grooves of "Naufragio" and "Socamerengue" take you to the tropics, to bring you back with the soulful solo voice/piano performance of "Fading Light". The slinky funkiness of "What My Dreams Are Made Of" contrasts with the jazziness of "I Wait". "Eclectica" keeps on surprising you; every track takes you on a different journey: an eclectic trip into Gabriela's sensual musical world.

Gabriela Anders - Eclectica   (flac  270mb)

01 Together Again 4:22
02 Pearls And Gold 3:37
03 Naufragio 4:15
04 What My Dreams Are Made Of 4:37
05 Fading Light 4:32
06 I Wait 5:30
07 Socamerengue 3:34
08 Like U Do 4:08
09 Far Away 4:46
10 Love So Right 3:31

Gabriela Anders - Eclectica (ogg   99mb)

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The sexy Argentine chanteuse has a wisp of a voice that tops Michael Franks for extreme subtlety, but there's no denying its calm and seductive appeal on a mix of uniquely arranged Billie Holiday classics and a handful of originals. The best way to describe Anders' approach to Lady Day is to imagine the legend chilling out in a South American rain forest surrounded by a gentle acoustic guitar and bandeon. "Our Love Is Here to Stay" plays like a slow-speed samba that Astrud Gilberto might feel at home with, but with trance effects. A few too many trippy liberties are taken, however, with "God Bless the Child," which is hard to recognize melodically even as Anders' restrained phrasing makes the lyrics clear. The best news for the singer is that at least a few of her originals -- particularly "Embrace Me" and the soundscape-enhanced "All Your Love" -- feel right at home among those legendary tracks. Judging from the intoxicating "The Buenos Aires Mix," she's also not averse to taking some odd-metered risks. No one can accuse Anders of possessing an overwhelming vocal presence, but for exotic make-out music, she's definitely on top of the pile.

Gabriela Anders - Last Tango in Rio   (flac  230mb)

01 You Go To My Head 3:52
02 Abracadabra 5:30
03 Love Is Here To Stay 3:20
04 God Bless The Child 4:23
05 Embrace Me 4:30
06 The Buenos Aires Mix 4:03
07 Body And Soul 3:15
08 All Your Love 2:44
09 Meant To Be 4:48
10 'Til The End Of Time 3:32

Gabriela Anders - Last Tango in Rio (ogg  92mb)

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With an album title referencing her former band Beleza (whose three long-out-of-print releases -- Fantasia, Seven Days, and Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim -- are nearly impossible to find), Anders offers up more Brazilian breath mints, spicy and cool. Overall, the album is very good, as Anders' half-whispered vocals heat most of the Portuguese tropical tunes. This is what a real bossa nova album should be: real upbeat songs like the cover of The Rollin Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" or the lite samba closer. Gabriela gives new life into a number of bossa standards here like "Agua De Beber" (giving it a hint of funk with the guitars), "Samba De Uma Nota So" or "Samba de Verão".

Gabriela Anders - Bossa Beleza (flac  289mb)

01 September 4:06
02 Aqua De Beber 3:23
03 Samba De Verao3:38
04 Samba De Uma Nota So 4:44
05 (I can't get no) Satisfaction 5:25
06 Amapola 3:17
07 Dindi 5:03
08 Folhas Secas 4:20
09 Fantasia 5:15
10 Siempre Asi 3:13
11 Sexy Ride 4:23

Gabriela Anders - Bossa Beleza (ogg  115mb)

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