Artist: The Phil Collins Big Band
     Album: A Hot Night in Paris
     Label: Atlantic / Wea
     Genre: Rock, Rock/Pop, Psychedelic
     Release: 1999
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 256 kbps
     Time: 1h, 11min, 15 sec.
     Size: 135 mb.

     Интересно, что было бы, если бы Genesis изначально играли джаз? И состав был несколько иной, побольше?
     Наверное, мы бы слушали нечто подобное тому, что я и предлагаю Вашему вниманию.      Итак...

     In the latter half of the '90s, Phil Collins' career hit a bit of a sales slump, and instead of shamelessly chasing after another number one single, he decided to change pace and try something different. Returning to the drums, he assembled the Phil Collins Big Band, reviving the sound of such idols as Buddy Rich and Sonny Payne, but largely sticking with his original material. After a brief European tour in 1996 (which happened to feature Quincy Jones as conductor and Tony Bennett as vocalist), he created a new version of the band featuring several accomplished jazz and studio musicians in support -- notably alto saxophonist Gerald Albright, but also guitarist Daryl Stuermer, tenor saxophonist James Carter, and pianists George Duke and Brad Cole, among many others, in varying roles. That band toured America and Europe in 1998, and it's the one featured on the ten-song, 70-minute live album A Hot Night in Paris. Initially, it may be disarming for long-time fans (and detractors) to hear "Sussudio," "That's All," and "Against All Odds" blaring forth in brash, brassy arrangements, and it is true that the melodies can occasionally sound thin in this context, but once that first reaction passes, A Hot Night in Paris is actually entertaining. Collins doesn't try anything new with the big band form -- he just updates it with his own songs, including the Genesis chestnut "The Los Endos Suite," along with covers of Miles Davis' "Milestones" and the Average White Band's "Pick up the Pieces." As such, it's the sort of record that will inevitably irk purists, since it's targeted right at mainstream jazz audiences, ones that aren't really familiar with big band music but have a vague idea of what it sounds like, but anyone whose standards aren't quite as exacting will likely be pleasantly surprised with A Hot Night in Paris. When the band just plays -- which is quite often, since the themes are stated quickly enough so they're recognized, then they disappear -- this is swinging, accomplished music that's unpretentious and fun. It's never more than simply entertaining, but that's all it needs to be -- it's more enjoyable than any record Collins has put out in over a decade, and it suggests that this is a dignified and charming way for him to mature. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

     Artist: Syd Barrett
     Album: Madcap Laughs
     Label: Capitol/EMI
     Original Year: 1970
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Size: 78 mb
     Total time: 37:48

     Wisely, The Madcap Laughs doesn't even try to sound like a consistent record. Half the album was recorded by Barrett's former bandmates Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour, and the other half by Harvest Records head Malcolm Jones. Surprisingly, Jones' tracks are song for song much stronger than the more-lauded Floyd entries. The opening "Terrapin" seems to go on three times as long as its five-minute length, creating a hypnotic effect through Barrett's simple, repetitive guitar figure and stream of consciousness lyrics. The much bouncier "Love You" sounds like a sunny little Carnaby Street pop song along the lines of an early Move single, complete with music hall piano, until the listener tries to parse the lyrics and realizes that they make no sense at all. The downright Kinksy"Here I Go" is in the same style, although it's both more lyrically direct and musically freaky, speeding up and slowing down seemingly at random. Like many of the "band" tracks, "Here I Go" is a Barrett solo performance with overdubs by Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Robert Wyatt of the Soft Machine; the combination doesn't always particularly work, as the Softs' jazzy, improvisational style is hemmed in by having to follow Barrett's predetermined lead, so on several tracks, like "No Good Trying," they content themselves with simply making weird noises in the background. The solo tracks are what made the album's reputation, though, particularly the horrifying "Dark Globe," a first-person portrait of schizophrenia that's seemingly the most self-aware song this normally whimsical songwriter ever created. Honestly, however, the other solo tracks are the album's weakest tracks, with the exception of the plain gorgeous "Golden Hair," a musical setting of a James Joyce poem that's simply spellbinding. The album falls apart with the appalling "Feel." Frankly, the inclusion of false starts and studio chatter, not to mention some simply horrible off-key singing by Barrett, makes this already marginal track feel disgustingly exploitative. But for that misstep, however, The Madcap Laughs is a surprisingly effective record that holds up better than its "ooh, lookit the scary crazy person" reputation suggests. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

     Artist: Sinead O'Connor
     Title Of Album: I do not want what I haven't got
     Year Of Release: 1989
     Label: Ensign/Chrysalis
     Genre: Alternative Rock, Folk Rock
     Country: Ireland
     Quality, Bitrate: APE & CUE
     Total Size: 256.19 Mb; Covers+Booklet - 10.91 MB

Самая эпатажная звезда ХХ века, затмившая своей скандальной славой даже Мадонну, ирландская певица Шинед О'Коннор (Sinead O'Connor) оказала глубокое влияние на ту часть поп-сцены, которая отдана представительницам прекрасного пола. Она провозгласила и настойчиво проводила в жизнь лозунг, что женщина является серьезным артистом и не должна быть объектом сексуальных устремлений. Ее сценической одеждой были бесформенные балахоны, а голова обрита наголо. И надо сказать, что ее музыка того стоила.

Through all of the controversy and scorn she's endured for her beliefs and public behaviour, Sinead O'Connor remains a formidable talent, and in the end, her music should always be the focal point. Her 1990 release "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" was her biggest breakthrough, and what's astonishing is how well it holds up nearly a decade and a half since it's release

     Artist: The Velvet Underground
     Album: Peel Slowly and See (5 discs)
     Label: Polydor / Umgd
     Original Year: September 26, 1995
     Recording Time: 381 minutes
     Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
     Size: CD1 100+53mb/CD2 100+62mb/CD3 100+51mb/CD4 100+56mb/CD5 100+55mb

PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE includes complete and digitally remastered versions of all four of the band's studio albums, 25 previously unreleased tracks and an 88-page booklet.

Recorded between July 1965 and August 23, 1970. Includes liner notes by David Fricke.

Released some thirty years after the band first emerged from the streets of New York City, PEEL SLOWLY AND SEE is the definitive documentary of the Velvet Underground, undeniably one of the most influential bands of the 1960s. Its five discs weave in and out of studio material, live nuggets and some unreleased songs that place the band's innovations and evolution within a career-long context, and are sure to make even the surliest VU completist smile.

     Artist: Jack Bruce
     Album: Spirit: Live at the BBC 1971-1978 CD 1
     Label: UME
     Year: 2008
     Quality: mp3/ CBR 320 kbps, 44.1kHz, Stereo
     Size: 152 Mb

2008 three CD set of solo BBC sessions from the former Cream bassist. Jack Bruce is perhaps one of the greatest popular musicians Britain has ever produced. A supremely talented instrumentalist and vocalist, eminently respected by his peers, Jack’s pioneering bass playing style has influenced a generation of bassists. He is also the possessor of one of the most powerful voices in modern music and a composer of some of the most original and influential songs of the past 40 years. This three disc set spans his trips to the BBC between 1971-78 and contains the best of his post Cream BBC recordings. Sessions, concerts and Old Grey Whistle Test broadcasts combined in a beautifully packaged box set containing rare photos and extensive liner notes by Mark Powell. Features some of Jack’s finest compositions such as ‘Folksong’, ‘You Burned the Tables On Me’, ‘Can You Follow?’, ‘Smiles and Grins’ and ‘Morning Story’ alongside new arrangement of Cream classics such as ‘We’re Going Wrong’ and ‘The Clearout’. Universal.

     Artist: Brenda Lee
     Album: Brenda Lee
     Label: MCA
     Record: 1956-1963
     Release: 1996
     Genre: Rock
     Size: 247/101мб
     Time: 42:30
     Format/Bitrate: APE-CUE-Log-scan / MP3;320kb/s

«Miss Dynamite» - Бренда Ли стала мировой звездой уже в 16 лет в 1960г., имея десятки хитов в первых номерах парадов. Самые известные альбомы записала с 1959-1963 годы. Этого оказалось достаточно, чтобы до конца 60-х и даже в начале 70-х ее песни возглавляли хит-парады.
К сожалению, сегодня её оригинальные альбомы найти непросто, в основном выходят сборники.
Этот альбом тоже сборник, но собран поклонником Бренды. Собрано многое из лучшего и, самое главное, тех лет, когда во всем мире блистала «Miss Dynamite».

Like Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and only a few others, Brenda Lee could sound equally wonderful whether she was tearing into an upbeat rock & roll number or crooning a melancholy countrypolitan ballad. The fact that she demonstrated ample knowledge of both even before getting halfway through her teenage years made her achievements much more special. MCA's The Definitive Collection befits its title in one area: it's the definitive collection of her Billboard chart history, where most but not all of her artistic excellence occurred.

     Artist: Chicago
     Album: The Best Of Chicago 40th Anniversary [LIMITED EDITION]
     Label: Rhino Records
     Year: 2007
     Genre: Rock
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Time: 51:55 60:24
     Size: 87.9x2 + 57.9 Mb

The purpose of 2007's The Best of Chicago: 40th Anniversary Edition -- the group's second double-disc set in just five years -- is plain in its title: it's been assembled with the band's birthday in mind. It's hard to pass up an anniversary like that, and so The Best of Chicago competes with 2002's The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning, a terrific 39-song set that had all of their hits. In comparison, the 2007 set covers a little more ground according to the calendar -- it has songs from their 2006 studio set Chicago XXX, which the 2002 does not -- but it's ten songs shorter, a compromise that might bring it in a smaller minimum suggested retail price, but doesn't really serve anybody looking for a truly comprehensive compilation. For those listeners, it's an easy decision: stick with the 2002 Very Best Of. For those listeners who want a double-disc set that's just slightly cheaper, this 40th Anniversary set will suit them fine, because it does have all the big hits -- so many that it takes a close comparison of the two track listings to realize what's missing on this one. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG

     Artist: Crosby Stills Nash & Young
     Album: Boxed Set [Box set]
     Label: ATLANTIC
     Year: 1990 [Digitally Remastered]
     Genre: Rock, Folk Rock
     Format, bitrate: MP3@256 kbps
     Time: 297:19
     Size: 95.8x5 + 43.7 Mb

This 77-track, four-CD set remains one of the best boxes devoted to a single music act that one can buy, covering the output of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young across 22 years, from 1968 until 1990. The first thing that becomes apparent, beyond the excellent sound (which was a revelation at the time, when only extant editions of the group's work were the early, substandard CD editions), is the sheer worth of the material. Crosby, Stills & Nash's reputation, based on their first four albums, can be taken as a given for anyone who would think of buying this set, and it does cover virtually every base that one could involving the trio, with an occasional Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cut included for completeness' sake. Disc one by itself should be worth the price of the set to serious fans, eight of its 18 tracks being previously unissued songs (including a version of the Beatles' "Blackbird") and unissued early demos, alternate takes, or variant mixes on songs from the Crosby, Stills & Nash or Dйjа Vu albums, along with one Crosby & Nash outtake. Disc two is similarly filled with previously unheard songs and versions of songs, although here the rarities are more focused on material by Stephen Stills (including a Crosby, Stills & Young version of "Black Queen"), Graham Nash solo, and the Crosby & Nash duo. Disc three is devoted more to Manassas and Crosby & Nash, but does work in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Taken at All" and "See the Changes" from various attempts at doing albums. Disc four takes listeners up to 1990, with Stills, Nash, and Crosby solo material (including unissued live and studio cuts) of the '80s interspersed with released Crosby, Stills & Nash tracks and previously unissued Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tracks. The accompanying booklet includes a sessionography and reminiscence about each track, and as most of this set is presented in chronological order, one not only gets a dazzling four-hour-plus song-by-song listening experience, but also what amounts to a montage/history of the group and their members across more than two decades.
~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

     Artist: Kid Rock
     Album: Devil Without A Cause
     Label: Atlantic Records
     Year: 1998
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbit/s
     Size: 164 MB

     Американский рэп-рок-музыкант Кид Рок (настоящее имя Роберт Джеймс Ритчи) родился в маленьком городке Ромео в пригороде Детройта, штат Мичиган, США, 17 января 1971 года. И хотя его имя очень часто связывают с рэп-сценой Детройта, Ритчи рос преимущественно в белом районе Ромео, лишь иногда выбираясь в Детройт на рэп-концерты и конкурсы молодых ди-джеев. Среди его музыкальных пристрастий была как рок-музыка (Боб Сигер), так и хип-хоп и электронная музыка. После того как он стал свидетелем битвы ди-джеев Дейва Ди и Эй Джей Скретча, Ритчи решает попробовать свои силы в ди-джействе, пустив в ход мамин патефон. Мальчик прикладывает все силы, чтобы стать рэппером и ди-джеем, что приводит к подпольным вечеринкам и криминальным забавам в близлежащих черных районах или в соседнем городке. Именно в это время он и начинает называть себя Кид Роком. Вскоре его демо-записи попадают на глаза, вернее на слух, представителям компании Boogie Down Productions, и Ритчи подписывает контракт с их новым лейблом Jive Records на сумму в 100 тысяч долларов.

     Artists:Mozdzer Danielsson Fresco
     Album:The Time
     Label: Outside Music
     Year:2005
     Quality: mp3, 256 kb/s
     Size: 80mb

Artist: Calexico
Album: Scraping
Label: Our Soil, Our Strength
Genre: Alternative Pop/Rock, Americana,
Alternative Country-Rock
Original Year: 2002
Format/Bitrate: MP3/320
Size: 100mb+45mb
Total time: 68:53

Calexico has come a long way from those tentative but promising early duo dates that Joey Burns and John Convertino cobbled together during the Spoke years, when the Tucson-based band was still more of a quiet side project from the pair's regular gig as Giant Sand's rhythm section. But beginning with the full-band shows for The Black Light tours, Calexico's eclectic mix of minor-key, mariachi-surf-spaghetti-twang-rock was custom-honed to replicate, and expand upon, the band's one-of-a-kind studio sound. The trumpet blasts, eerie vibraphone, plains-sweeping pedal steel, reverb-happy riffs, and thunderous press-rolls offered something for a broad range of music lovers -- particularly in Europe, where fans caught on earlier and in greater numbers. An Internet/tour-only CD (www.casadecalexico.com), Scraping features the same band Calexico has fielded for several years now -- Burns (guitar, vocals), Convertino (drums), Martin Wenk (vibes, trumpet), Volker Zander (bass), Jacob Valenzuela (trumpet, vibes), and Lambchop member Paul Niehaus (pedal steel, guitar) -- and documents them at a time when they've obviously gelled. Ten of the 13 pristine-sounding cuts are from a January 2002 show at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. (Two other cuts, "Sanchez" and "Paper Re-Route," were recorded in Tucson in May of 2001, while a third, "Stray," is from the July 2000 Roskilde Festival in Denmark.) Scraping was recorded during a period when Calexico stretched out at least once or twice per show into extended, jaw-dropping jazz- or psychedelic-inflected soundscapes. Valenzuela proves inestimable, particularly on "Fade" (a 12-minute Miles Davis-meets-Morricone rave-up) and "Sonic Wind," his muted and clarion-like horn blowing powering some memorably climatic crescendos. The infectious single "Crystal Frontier" (from the EP Even My Sure Things Fall Through) was a regular show-closer at the time, its mariachi horn blasts, flamenco-like strumming, and extended bridge revving up crowds to a fever pitch before sending them on their way. That song was eventually supplanted by the equally rambunctious "Guero Canelo" to close the Feast of Wire tours that followed -- that this band has become even tighter on subsequent tours almost stretches credulity. One does wish there was at least one more cut on the 69-minute Scraping -- since they were cherry-picking, a version of another popular show opener and quintessential Calexico song, "Glowing Heart of the World" (from the Road Map EP), would have been a good candidate. There may be even better versions of some of these songs on the many live bootlegs generated by Calexico, but it's unlikely they'll sound this crisp. Scraping offers irrefutable evidence that Calexico is one of the most entertaining live bands -- and, sadly, still somewhat neglected -- America has to offer. ~ John Schacht, All Music Guide

   Artist: George Harrison
   Album: Somewhere In England
   Label: Capitol / EMI
   Orig Year: 1981
   Format: mp3 320 kbps
   Size: 100 MB

   In the tradition of ABBEY ROAD's "Something," Harrison includes two fluid, slower numbers: "Writing's on the Wall" and the love song "Life Itself." The record's highlight, however, is the John Lennon tribute "All Those Years Ago." The shiny ... Full Descriptionpop pulse nicely balances the sense of longing and loss at the song's core, and contributions from Ringo Starr, Paul and Linda McCartney, and George Martin make it something of a collective statement from a group of old friends. Along with his self-titled album, this is one of Harrison's strongest releases.
   Falling squarely between the soulful, exploratory songwriting of George Harrison's early solo efforts and his later, commercially oriented pop, 1981's SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND is a varied collection that reflects the guitarist's past with the Beatles and the musical currents of the early '80s. "Blood from a Clone" has an almost New Wave feel to it, and is a vitriolic attack on the corporate music industry (Harrison was embroiled in battles with Warner Brothers over the release of the album).

     Artist: Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
     Album: Struttin' Our Stuff
     Year: 1998
     Label: Velvel Records
     Format: MP 3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time: 44:14
     Size: 96.1 Mb

Artist: Julian Sas
Album: Dedication
Label: Corazong records
Year: 2007
Quality: vbr - Highest Quality
all covers + autographs

'Dedication' is the the second DVD release of the Dutch blues-rocker Julian Sas.'Dedication' is the recording of the concert with which Julian Sas celebrated the ten year old existence of its band. The concert was recorded in a completely sold-out concerthall "013" in Tilburg, Holland. The band of Julian has developed the past 10 years to a very well oiled diesel. Drummer rob Heijne, keyboardplayer Pieter van Bogaert from Belgium and bass player Tenny Tahamata ensures with Julian an evening of premier league blues.

Liner notes:
"We baptized the European 4-disc set "Dedicat10n" to commemorate Julian Sas' dedication to his music and to bringing his music to the world. The 10 in "Dedicat10n" stands for the 10th anniversary of the Julian Sas Band. At the same time this is the 10th album release by Julian. And personally I recognize the figure 10 as reflecting the quality of Julian's music at this captured moment in time. The 4-disc-set contains 2 DVD's with the full Tilburg concert of January 2006, and the 2 CD's contain the audio-mix of the same jubilee gig. The launch of "Dedicat10n" marks the second time a full Julian Sas show is published on DVD. This concert at O13 in Tilburg was attended by almost 2000 loyal fans, the same fans that continue to give Julian the inspiration and dedication to progress his music. It is a privilege to have been involved with Julian's career during those fabulous ten years. I have scouted hundreds of guitarists and blues-bands around the globe and I know that this guy is the real McCoy: The Power and The Blues! Turning privilege into dedication, we at Corazong Records will not rest till the world agrees!" - Evert Wilbrink

   
     Artist - Simon And Garfunkel
     Album - The Concert In Central Park
     Label - Warner Bros
     Year - September 19, 1981
     Quality - MP3@320 kbps
     Size - 174 MB
     Total time - 75:51

     Amazon.com
     You can almost hear Simon & Garfunkel begin to like each other again on this now-legendary set. On September 19, 1981, the duo reunited for just the second time since their initial breakup and revealed a camaraderie that had apparently vanished years earlier. Not only do they reprise their shared hits, they also work in a few of Paul Simon's solo gems and a couple of telling covers--one from the Everly Brothers and one from Chuck Berry.