What are you listening to right now?

[NewRider]

[hamilton]

Joel Plaskett Emergency, Ashtray Rock.

[NewRider]

Huey Lewis & The News - Soulsville

[boiler]

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/ggMYNm

Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (Deluxe Edition)

Some liberal interpretation of what can constitute the bonus material of a deluxe edition went into this two-CD edition of The Harder They Come, which in its original release was both a classic reggae album and a classic soundtrack. The additional material on the second disc is not outtakes from the soundtrack or some such intimately related work, but 18 high-grade vintage reggae tracks from the late ’60s and early ’70s. Admittedly some of the newly added songs are by artists who also contributed to the soundtrack, those being Jimmy Cliff, the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and the Melodians. Then, however, there are a bunch of tunes by artists not involved in the soundtrack at all, like the Uniques, Dave & Ansel Collins, Johnny Nash, and Eric Donaldson. But — and this is a big but — the excellence of the additional cuts, along with how they fit well with the music on the original The Harder They Come soundtrack, makes such inconsistencies moot. The original The Harder They Come, comprising all of disc one, remains one of the great reggae albums, crossing over to a non-Jamaican audience more than almost any other reggae release of the era, perhaps because there was so much soul (both literally and figuratively) in the melodies and vocals. The 18 songs on disc two include some core reggae classics, among them some of the biggest reggae-pop crossovers of 1968-1972, including Dekker’s “Israelites,†Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now†(yes, Nash was American, but this was recorded in Jamaica), Dave & Ansel Collins’ zany instrumental “Double Barrel,†and Cliff’s “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.†These are spiced with somewhat lesser-known delights like the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay,†Cliff’s “Viet Nam†[sic], and Donaldson’s “Cherry Oh Baby,†famously covered by the Rolling Stones on their Black and Blue album. The additional disc, though strictly speaking not directly related to the soundtrack, does what the bonus material on deluxe editions should do and doesn’t always successfully pull off: it makes a classic album better. And for those who want at least a little extra content tied to the film itself, the liner notes include essays by director Perry Henzell, Island Records chief Chris Blackwell, the Clash’s Paul Simonon, and reggae author David Katz. - Richie Unterberger

MP3@320CBR

Track List

CD 1:

01. Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:42)

02. Scotty – Draw Your Brakes (2:58)

03. Melodians – Rivers of Babylon (4:18)

04. Jimmy Cliff – Many Rivers To Cross (3:02)

05. Toots and the Maytals – Sweet And Dandy (3:00)

06. Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (3:42)

07. Slickers – Johnny Too Bad (3:05)

08. Desmond Dekker – Shanty Town (2:42)

09. Toots and the Maytals – Pressure Drop (3:47)

10. Jimmy Cliff – Sitting In Limbo (4:56)

11. Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:45)

12. Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (Alternate) (3:08)

CD 2:

01. Desmond Dekker & the Aces – Israelites (2:38)

02. Uniques, The – My Conversation (2:41)

03. Toots and The Maytals – Do The Reggay (3:18)

04. Jimmy Cliff – Viet Nam (4:53)

05. Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now (2:43)

06. Ethiopians, The – Reggae Hit The Town (2:24)

07. Dave & Ansel Collins – Double Barrel (2:50)

08. Desmond Dekker & the Aces – It Mek (2:32)

09. Melodians, The – Sweet Sensation (3:43)

10. Jimmy Cliff – Let Your Yeah Be Yeah (3:05)

11. Eric Donaldson – Cherry Oh Baby (3:01)

12. Dave & Ansel Collins – Monkey Spanner (2:45)

13. Toots and The Maytals – 54-46 (That’s My Number) (2:58)

14. Melodians, The – It’s My Delight (3:14)

15. Jimmy Cliff – Wonderful World, Beautiful People (3:16)

16. Toots and The Maytals – Pomp & Pride (4:27)

17. Johnny Nash – Guava Jelly (3:15)

18. Jimmy Cliff – The Bigger They Come, The Harder They Fall (3:12)

http://bit.ly/ggMYNm

[bradm]

The John Henrys - Sweet As The Grain

Aloha,

Brad

[bradm]

The John Henrys - The John Henrys

Aloha,

Brad

[NewRider]

http://bit.ly/ggMYNm

Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (Deluxe Edition)

Some liberal interpretation of what can constitute the bonus material of a deluxe edition went into this two-CD edition of The Harder They Come, which in its original release was both a classic reggae album and a classic soundtrack. The additional material on the second disc is not outtakes from the soundtrack or some such intimately related work, but 18 high-grade vintage reggae tracks from the late ’60s and early ’70s. Admittedly some of the newly added songs are by artists who also contributed to the soundtrack, those being Jimmy Cliff, the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, and the Melodians. Then, however, there are a bunch of tunes by artists not involved in the soundtrack at all, like the Uniques, Dave & Ansel Collins, Johnny Nash, and Eric Donaldson. But — and this is a big but — the excellence of the additional cuts, along with how they fit well with the music on the original The Harder They Come soundtrack, makes such inconsistencies moot. The original The Harder They Come, comprising all of disc one, remains one of the great reggae albums, crossing over to a non-Jamaican audience more than almost any other reggae release of the era, perhaps because there was so much soul (both literally and figuratively) in the melodies and vocals. The 18 songs on disc two include some core reggae classics, among them some of the biggest reggae-pop crossovers of 1968-1972, including Dekker’s “Israelites,†Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now†(yes, Nash was American, but this was recorded in Jamaica), Dave & Ansel Collins’ zany instrumental “Double Barrel,†and Cliff’s “Wonderful World, Beautiful People.†These are spiced with somewhat lesser-known delights like the Maytals’ “Do the Reggay,†Cliff’s “Viet Nam†[sic], and Donaldson’s “Cherry Oh Baby,†famously covered by the Rolling Stones on their Black and Blue album. The additional disc, though strictly speaking not directly related to the soundtrack, does what the bonus material on deluxe editions should do and doesn’t always successfully pull off: it makes a classic album better. And for those who want at least a little extra content tied to the film itself, the liner notes include essays by director Perry Henzell, Island Records chief Chris Blackwell, the Clash’s Paul Simonon, and reggae author David Katz. - Richie Unterberger

MP3@320CBR

Track List

CD 1:

01. Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:42)

02. Scotty – Draw Your Brakes (2:58)

03. Melodians – Rivers of Babylon (4:18)

04. Jimmy Cliff – Many Rivers To Cross (3:02)

05. Toots and the Maytals – Sweet And Dandy (3:00)

06. Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (3:42)

07. Slickers – Johnny Too Bad (3:05)

08. Desmond Dekker – Shanty Town (2:42)

09. Toots and the Maytals – Pressure Drop (3:47)

10. Jimmy Cliff – Sitting In Limbo (4:56)

11. Jimmy Cliff – You Can Get It If You Really Want (2:45)

12. Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (Alternate) (3:08)

CD 2:

01. Desmond Dekker & the Aces – Israelites (2:38)

02. Uniques, The – My Conversation (2:41)

03. Toots and The Maytals – Do The Reggay (3:18)

04. Jimmy Cliff – Viet Nam (4:53)

05. Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now (2:43)

06. Ethiopians, The – Reggae Hit The Town (2:24)

07. Dave & Ansel Collins – Double Barrel (2:50)

08. Desmond Dekker & the Aces – It Mek (2:32)

09. Melodians, The – Sweet Sensation (3:43)

10. Jimmy Cliff – Let Your Yeah Be Yeah (3:05)

11. Eric Donaldson – Cherry Oh Baby (3:01)

12. Dave & Ansel Collins – Monkey Spanner (2:45)

13. Toots and The Maytals – 54-46 (That’s My Number) (2:58)

14. Melodians, The – It’s My Delight (3:14)

15. Jimmy Cliff – Wonderful World, Beautiful People (3:16)

16. Toots and The Maytals – Pomp & Pride (4:27)

17. Johnny Nash – Guava Jelly (3:15)

18. Jimmy Cliff – The Bigger They Come, The Harder They Fall (3:12)

http://bit.ly/ggMYNm

Thanks Kev. Enjoying this now

[Kanada Kev]

The original is a classic. The other stuff is ICING

Had to track down another copy of Israelites. Hope it sounds OK with the rest of it.

Gotta watch the movie again sometime. It's a lot of fun

[Kanada Kev]

Jayhawks reupped ... and added this one:

http://bit.ly/fgyvLN

The Jayhawks – Rainy Day Music (+bonus disc)

The Jayhawks, veteran poster kids for how major labels fail some of the most talented artists. The Minneapolis band has endured nearly 20 years of tough breaks — deep production debt, record-label collapse, the departure of coleader Mark Olson and a subsequent revolving-door lineup. Yet the music has rarely flagged. Rainy Day Music follows 2000′s criminally slept-on â€Smile,†the apex of their evolution from dusty, Crazy Horse-riding country-rockers to baroque pop-rock renovators of the Hotel California. Folk-rock laced with banjos, accordions, and pedal steel, â€Music†is the roots move one suspects fans have wanted for years, its classic rock flavor echoing the Byrds, CSNY, and Poco. It’s a handsome, cozy set. Yet one misses the old guitar fireworks and even the lush pop-craft. It’s almost as if, freed to be themselves, the Jayhawks need to refigure who they are, or want to be.

Hopefully their label will give them room to do that, since frontman-songwriter Gary Louris — like Williams and fellow Highway-man Ryan Adams — aspires to write songs for the ages, not just for this week’s pop chart. As Williams sings on â€Fruits of My Labor,†â€Baby, if it’s all the same/Take the glory any day over the fame.†Better advice for any artist would be hard to come by. - ew

MP3@320CBR

Track List

1. “Stumbling Through the Dark†(Gary Louris, Matthew Sweet) – 2:26

2. “Tailspin†– 3:19

3. “All the Right Reasons†– 3:25

4. “Save It for a Rainy Day†– 3:08

5. “Eyes of Sarahjane†– 3:48

6. “One Man’s Problem†– 4:02

7. “Don’t Let the World Get in Your Way†(Tim O’Reagan) – 4:19

8. “Come to the River†– 4:29

9. “Angelyne†– 3:44

10. “Madman†– 4:04

11. “You Look So Young†– 4:03

12. “Tampa to Tulsa†(O’Reagan) – 4:02

13. “Will I See You in Heaven†(Marc Perlman) – 3:39

14. “Stumbling Through the Dark (Reprise)†(Louris, Sweet) – 2:17

Bonus CD:

1. “Fools On Paradeâ€

2. “Say Your Prayersâ€(Demo)

3. “All The Right Reasonsâ€(Alternate Mix)

4. “Caught With a Smile on My Faceâ€(Demo)

5. “Tampa To Tulsaâ€(Alternate Mix)

6. “Waiting For the Sun†(Louris, Mark Olson) (Live performance by Gary Louris on April 26, 2002 at The Woman’s Club, Minneapolis, MN )

http://bit.ly/fgyvLN

[hamilton]

Hot Club of Detroit, Hot Club of Detroit.

[bradm]

Sisters Euclid - (live recording) 2010-12-06, Hugh's Room, Toronto, ON

Aloha,

Brad

[NewRider]

Bjork - Debut

[hamilton]

Janelle Monáe, The ArchAndroid.

[Kanada Kev]

http://bit.ly/gEXZKa

Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Neil Young’s second solo album, released only four months after his first, was nearly a total rejection of that polished effort. Though a couple of songs, “Round Round (It Won’t Be Long)†and “The Losing End (When You’re On),†shared that album’s country-folk style, they were altogether livelier and more assured. The difference was that, while Neil Young was a solo effort, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere marked the beginning of Young’s recording association with Crazy Horse, the trio of Danny Whitten (guitar), Ralph Molina (drums), and Billy Talbot (bass) that Young had drawn from the struggling local Los Angeles group the Rockets. With them, Young quickly cut a set of loose, guitar-heavy rock songs — “Cinnamon Girl,†“Down by the River,†and “Cowgirl in the Sand†— that redefined him as a rock & roll artist. The songs were deliberately underwritten and sketchy as compositions, their lyrics more suggestive than complete, but that made them useful as frames on which to hang the extended improvisations (“River†and “Cowgirl†were each in the nine-to-ten-minute range) Young played with Crazy Horse and to reflect the ominous tone of his singing. Young lowered his voice from the near-falsetto employed on his debut to a more expressive range, and he sang with greater confidence, accompanied by Whitten and, on “Round Round,†by Robin Lane. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere was breathtakingly different when it appeared in May 1969, both for Young and for rock in general, and it reversed his commercial fortunes, becoming a moderate hit. (Young’s joining Crosby, Stills & Nash the month after its release didn’t hurt his profile, of course.) A year and a half after its release, it became a gold album, and it has since gone platinum. And it set a musical pattern Young and his many musical descendants have followed ever since; almost 30 years later, he was still playing this sort of music with Crazy Horse, and a lot of contemporary bands were playing music clearly influenced by it. - William Ruhlmann

MP3@320CBR

Track List

1. “Cinnamon Girl†– 2:58

2. “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere†– 2:26

3. “Round & Round (It Won’t Be Long)†– 5:49

4. “Down by the River†– 9:13

5. “The Losing End (When You’re On)†– 4:03

6. “Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets)†– 5:30

7. “Cowgirl in the Sand†– 10:06

http://bit.ly/gEXZKa

[NewRider]

[Kanada Kev]

In case you haven't heard The New Mastersounds yet, this is a fantastic introduction. I first saw these guys about four years ago at Gratefulfest on their tiny second stage. They were absolutely amazing. Groovin' side stage with the kids

http://bit.ly/fZBnDs

The New Mastersounds – Masterology: The Pioneers of New British Funk

The New Mastersounds hit the Brit-funk scene in 2000, with a stripped-down music that was equal parts Meters groove, the syncopated invention of the J.B.’s’ rhythm section, and the good-time feel of prime Booker T. & the MG’s. That said, while deeply influenced — to the point of obsession — with the aforementioned artists, this quartet has put its own stamp on tight, dynamic instrumental funk. On Masterology, the band’s musical development is charted from its first single, 2000′s “Ode to Bobbie Gentry,†right through to “Dusty Groove,†from 2009′s Ten Years On. Other highlights include — but are far from limited to — the woolly psychedelic funk in “La Cova†from their debut concert album, the skittering soul-jazz of “Colorado Sun (Jesse’s Backyard)†from 102%, and the break-driven syncopation of “Can’t Hold Me Down†from Be Yourself. The punchy guitar groove in “Thermal Bad†from Plug & Play, the shimmering groove in “Idris,†and the closing cover of Jack McDuff’s “Butter for Yo’ Popcorn,†from a French single, testify that the New Mastersounds are much more than retro funkateers; they are genuine innovators capable of putting their own stamp on whatever they choose to play. There is an earlier compilation entitled An Introduction to the New Mastersounds, released by Légère Recordings in 2007, but since only three tracks are duplicated, interested parties need have no fear. This set is the better of the two and offers a more well-rounded introduction to the band. - Thom Jurek

MP3@320CBR

Track List

1. Baby Bouncer (3:08)

2. Can’t Hold Me Down (3:02)

3. Land Of Nod (7:48)

4. Ode To Bobbie Gentry (3:35)

5. Hole In The Bag (3:24)

6. All I Want (Right Now) (4:13)

7. The Minx (5:11)

8. Better Off Dead (4:19)

9. La Cova (2:09)

10. Nervous (5:12)

11. Thermal Bad (4:10)

12. Your Love Is Mine (5:15)

13. Colorado Sun (Jesse’s Backyard) (4:35)

14. The Vandenburg Suite (3:40)

15. Give Me A Minute (Pt. 2) (3:22)

16. Dusty Groove (5:33)

17. Miracles (2:36)

18. Idris (3:50)

19. Butter For Yo’ Popcorn (2:28)

http://bit.ly/fZBnDs

[bradm]

In case you haven't heard The New Mastersounds yet, this is a fantastic introduction.

There are live recordings of New Mastersounds available at

http://www.archive.org/details/NewMastersounds

I first saw these guys about four years ago at Gratefulfest on their tiny second stage.

I found this recording, which might be the one you saw.

Aloha,

Brad

Edited January 5, 2011 by Guest
Add quotes from KK and link to Grateful Fest NMS recording.

[bradm]

Super Awesome Club - (live recording) 2010-10-25, Le Petit Chicago, Gatineau, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[Kanada Kev]

In case you haven't heard The New Mastersounds yet' date=' this is a fantastic introduction.[/quote']

There are live recordings of New Mastersounds available at

http://www.archive.org/details/NewMastersounds

I first saw these guys about four years ago at Gratefulfest on their tiny second stage.

I found this recording, which might be the one you saw.

Aloha,

Brad

Close Brad. It was the year before. July 07. http://www.newmastersounds.com/media/index.php?setid=72157602132529526

[bradm]

Close Brad. It was the year before. July 07. http://www.newmastersounds.com/media/index.php?setid=72157602132529526

I don't think that one's on the archive, though there are a few from around that time there.

Aloha,

Brad

[bradm]

Super Awesome Club - (live recording) 2010-10-25, Le Petit Chicago, Gatineau, QC

Aloha,

Brad

[bradm]

Sisters Euclid - (live recording) 2007-12-17, The Orbit Room, Toronto, ON

Aloha,

Brad

[NewRider]

[boiler]

I think this may be my favorite piece of vinyl I have.