Artist:Warren Cuccurullo
     Album: Thanks 2 Frank
     Year: 1994,release: 1996
     Label: Imago
     Style: Punk/New Wave
     Format, bitrate: MP3@224kbps
     Time: 63:54
     Size: 98 Mb

Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo began his career with Frank Zappa, so it should come as no surprise that when he made his return to experimental music after years of pop craftmenship with Duran Duran and Missing Persons, he would do so under the guise of Thanks to Frank, a tribute to the late composer. Working with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Cuccurullo sounds creatively reborn. Drawing from a variety of different world musics, the guitarist fashions complex and challenging soundscapes that prove he learned a lot from Zappa. It's not a consistent record, but the best moments on Thanks to Frank showcase a guitarist overcome with the joy of finding his own voice.

     Artist: The Jim McCarty Band
     Album: Two Steps Ahead
     Label: Kissing Spell
     Year: 2002
     Format MP3, bitrate: 320 kbps
     Time: 54:27
     Size: 126,85 Mb (+3%)



James McCarty was one of the founding members of one of the seminal British Invasion groups, the Yardbirds. After leaving the group, he formed the progressive rock outfit Renaissance with Yardbirds vocalist Keith Relf. McCarty left Renaissance in 1973; he wrote material for Dave Berry and Dave Clark, among others, before attempting to re-form Renaissance in 1976. Sadly, the band's plans were destroyed by Relf's death in 1976; the group continued as Illusion. In 1983, he joined former Yardbirds Chris Dreja and Paul Samwell-Smith as Box of Frogs. In the late '80s, McCarty launched his own solo career, which has produced four albums that meld his blues-rock heritage with new age philosophies and musical textures.

    Artist: Eric Clapton
    Album: Journeyman
    Label: Reprise
    Genre: Blues - Rock
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s vbr
    Time: 56:52
    Size: 88,3 Mb (full covers)
    AMG Rating:

For most of the '80s, Eric Clapton seemed rather lost, uncertain of whether he should return to his blues roots or pander to AOR radio. By the mid-'80s, he appeared to have made the decision to revamp himself as a glossy mainstream rocker, working with synthesizers and drum machines. Instead of expanding his audience, it only reduced it. Then came the career retrospective Crossroads, which helped revitalize his career, not only commercially, but also creatively, as Journeyman — the first album he recorded after the success of Crossroads — proved. Although Journeyman still suffers from an overly slick production, Clapton sounds more convincing than he has since the early '70s. Not only is his guitar playing muscular and forceful, his singing is soulful and gritty. Furthermore, the songwriting is consistently strong, alternating between fine mainstream rock originals ("Pretending") and covers ("Before You Accuse Me," "Hound Dog"). Like any of Clapton's best albums, there is no grandstanding to be found on Journeyman — it's simply a laid-back and thoroughly engaging display of Clapton's virtuosity. On the whole, it's the best studio album he's released since Slowhand. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine at All Music Guide

     Artist: Chris Rea
     Album: Still So Far To Go... The Best Of Chris Rea
     Year Of Release: 05.10.2009
     Label: Rhino, Jazze Blue
     Genre: Pop/Rock
     Format: flac
     Quality: lossless
     Total Time: 02 h 33 min 35 sec
     Total Size: 1.01 GB

     'Still So Far To Go - The Best Of Chris Rea' includes two brand new studio recordings, 'Come So Far, Yet Still So Far To Go' and 'Valentino' as well as other classic Rea tracks such as 'Fool (If You Think It's Over)', 'On The Beach', 'Let's Dance', 'Josephine' and 'Stainsby Girls', 'Working On It', 'The Road To Hell (Part 2)', 'Auberge', 'God's Great Banana Skin' and 'Julia'.
     The Limited edition 2CD version additionally includes expanded booklet with personal sleevenotes by Chris Rea, a selection of his own paintings and additional photos. The second disc is fingerprinted, allowing access to exclusive content when inserted into a PC/Mac, which will include a free download of the demo to 'Valentino', brand new interview footage of Chris talking about himself, the 2 new songs and his forthcoming 2010 tour. Plus archive videos, previous live footage, wallpapers and more... ~ Rhino

     Artist: Eric Clapton
     Album: Slowhand
     Label: Polydor, 24 bit remastered, Japan
     Year: rec. May 1977/rel.Nov 1977
     Format: MP3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time: 39:04
     Size: 86,7 Mb
     AMG rating:

     Artist: Sugar Blue
     Album: Threshold
     Label: Beeble records
     Year: rel. 2009
     Format: MP3 @ 320 Kb/s
     Time: 71:54
     Size: 155,02 Mb

     Artist: Jimi Hendrix
     Album: Band of Gypsys
     Label: Capitol Records
     Year: 1970
     Format, bitrate: mp3, 320
     Time: 45:16
     Size: 90 mb
     AMG Rating:

     Band of Gypsys was the only live recording authorized by Jimi Hendrix before his death. It was recorded and released in order to get Hendrix out from under a contractual obligation that had been hanging over his head for a couple years. Helping him out were longtime friends Billy Cox on bass and Buddy Miles on the drums because the Experience had broken up in June of 1969, following a show in Denver. This rhythm section was vastly different from the Experience. Buddy Miles was an earthy, funky drummer in direct contrast to the busy, jazzy leanings of Mitch Mitchell. Noel Redding was not really a bass player at all but a converted guitar player who was hired in large part because Hendrix liked his hair! These new surroundings pushed Hendrix to new creative heights. Along with this new rhythm section, Hendrix took these shows as an opportunity to showcase much of the new material he had been working on. The music was a seamless melding of rock, funk, and R&B, and tunes like "Message to Love" and "Power to Love" showed a new lyrical direction as well. Although he could be an erratic live performer, for these shows, Hendrix was on — perhaps his finest performances. His playing was focused and pre cise. In fact, for most of the set, Hendrix stood motionless, a far cry from the stage antics that helped establish his reputation as a performer. Equipment problems had plagued him in past live shows as well, but everything was perfect for the Fillmore shows. His absolute mastery of his guitar and effects is even more amazing considering that this was the first time he used the Fuzz Face, wah-wah pedal, Univibe, and Octavia pedals on-stage together. The guitar tones he gets on "Who Knows" and "Power to Love" are powerful and intense, but nowhere is his absolute control more evident than on "Machine Gun," where Hendrix conjures bombs, guns, and other sounds of war from his guitar, all within the context of a coherent musical statement. The solo on "Machine Gun" totally rewrote the book on what a man could do with an electric guitar and is arguably the most groundbreaking and devastating guitar solo ever . These live versions of "Message to Love" and "Power to Love" are far better than the jigsaw puzzle studio versions that were released posthumously. Two Buddy Miles compositions are also included, but the show belongs to Jimi all the way. Band of Gypsys is not only an important part of the Hendrix legacy, but one of the greatest live albums ever.

     Artist: Elvis Presley
     Album: Christmas Duets
     Label: RCA Records
     Release Oct 14, 2008
     Genre: Pop/Rock, Christmas, Holidays
     Format mp3, bitrate:320 kbps
     Size: 51 MB

Продолжим праздничную тему. Как же без Короля рок-н-ролла? Итак, самые популярные праздничные шлягеры из бескрайнего репертуара певца, к которым добавлены вокальные партии лучших певиц сегодняшней американской эстрады. Среди них - Кэри Андервуд, Эми Грант, Оливия Ньютон-Джон и другие.

Elvis Presley never recorded duets, but that didn't stop RCA from compiling an album of duets for the 2008 Christmas season -- all with the help of the latest studio technology and ten willing duet partners.

     Artist: John Lennon
     Album: Imagine (Digitally Remastered and Remixed)
     Label:Capitol Records
     Year: 1971, release:2000
     Formate: APE - Cue (784 kbps)
     Total time:39:29
     Size: 228 Mb
     AMG Rating:



After the harrowing Plastic Ono Band, John Lennon returned to calmer, more conventional territory with Imagine. While the album had a softer surface, it was only marginally less confessional than its predecessor. Underneath the sweet strings of "Jealous Guy" lies a broken and scared man, the jaunty "Crippled Inside" is a mocking assault at an acquaintance, and "Imagine" is a paean for peace in a world with no gods, possessions, or classes, where everyone is equal. And Lennon doesn't shy away from the hard rockers -- "How Do You Sleep" is a scathing attack on Paul McCartney, "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier" is a hypnotic antiwar song, and "Give Me Some Truth" is bitter hard rock. If Imagine doesn't have the thematic sweep of Plastic Ono Band, it is nevertheless a remarkable collection of songs that Lennon would never be able to better again. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

     Artist: Nina Hagen
     Label:SPV
     Album: Big Band Explosion
     Year: 2003
     Quality: 320 kb/s
     Size: 93 mb

В ноябре 2003-го Нина Хаген обнародовала свой 12-й студийный лонг-плей “Nina Hagen Big Band Explosion”. Над записью она работала с настоящим биг бэндом из Лейпцига (Leipzig BigBand). По словам певицы, на этом альбоме ей удалось воплотить мечту всей ее жизни — записать песни, вдохновленные оригинальной американской музыкой: блюзом, джазом, кантри. Огромную помощь в создании альбома оказал ей Люкас Александр (Lucas Alexander), с которым Нина записала два дуэта.

A big-band album from a Teutonic dominatrix that used to be pictured dressed in PVC and restraining ropes? Sure, why not? Just don't fall for the pretty bindi wear and butterflies flying out of her mouth on the cover. Nina Hagen is still Nina Hagen and time has made her gritty voice even grittier. The lady was born to entertain, and if you're warm to her in-your-face absurdity, Big Band Explosion is a heck of a lot of fun. You'll be on the edge of your seat as the singer delivers the tunes straight-faced, but you just know that any moment she's going to bust out the brash Nina of old. That's the way the most of the songs go -- almost to the point of being formulaic -- but if anyone is going to pull it off it's Nina. Her greatest moment -- or most grating, depending on your tolerance -- comes at the end of "I Want to Be Happy" when her guttural scatting ends in a cough and an "oh my God!" She's Betty Boop one minute and Godzilla the next, which is why her fans love her. The Leipzig Big Band does a fine job with the accompaniment, but they could have been pushed up a little higher in the mix, and you just have to wonder what the look on their faces was like. Wonder if naughty Nina's untied them yet. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide

    Artist: Norah Jones
    Album: The Fall
    Label: Blue Note EMI Music
    Release: 17 Nov 2009
    Styles: Songwriter/Adult Alternative
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s
    Time: 45:00
    Size: 105 Mb
    Bubu's Rating:

Two boyfriends, a band and one nice-girl image later, for her fourth album Norah Jones returns to the things in life a girl can trust: Tom Waits and her dog,
■ Norah Jones's first three albums,starting with 2002's surprise"phenomenon" Come Away With Me, have sold around 36 million worldwide.
■ Jones wrote most of The Fall on guitar.although she usually plays piano on stage.This is nothing new, however. She wrote her first ever solo composition, Come Away With Me, on guitar on her bed in a cupboard-size Greenwich Village apartment.
■ The fall's production by Jacguire King and inspiration from Male Variations isn't Jones's first Tom Waits connection. She recorded his The Long Way Home on second album Feels Like Home.
Key tracks: Waiting, You've Ruined Me, Tell Yer Mama. - By Phil Sutcliffe at Mojo

     Artist: Collegium Musicum
     Album: Live
     Format: FLAC + MP3 (320k/s)
     Size: 283 + 102 MB (scans)
     Label: Opus (1998)
     Total time: 42:48




     First live album from this outstanding band. Marian Varga is a fabulous organ player and their covers of some classical music to rock and fusion are incredible. Their sound is closer to ELP, but a little more jazzier. Not less virtuoso than Emerson, Fritz or Van der Linden, Varga deliver us music full of breaks, jazzier and classical parts, and otherwise, drums and also bass solos, as the ability of Hajek is very noteworthy and the bass lines played by Freso are quite strong and enjoyable, in the vein of Chris Squire. I don't know if they were the Czeschoslovakian answer to ELP, because they appeared at the same time, anyway, I can find some small similarities with The Nice, but overall, I think these guys could play very nice music and their style is rather unique. Much more original and spontaneous than Trace or Triumvirat, that's why they are one of my favourite bands. Rather precious and unique. Five stars. by Miles, Progarchives.com

    Artist: Rod Stewart
    Album: A Night on the Town (Limited Edition) 2cd
    Label: Rhino Records
    Year: 1975
    Release: 2009
    Style: Pop-Rock
    Format mp3, bitrate: 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 1:35:38
    Size: 135 Mb (covers)
    AMG Rating:

In some ways, it's easy to think of A Night on the Town, Rod Stewart's second album for Warner, as a reprisal of the first, cut with many of the same musicians as Atlantic Crossing, produced once again by Tom Dowd, and even following its predecessor's conceit of having a "Slow Side" and "Fast Side" (granted, this flips the two around, opening with the slow one first). Superficially, this seems true, but A Night on the Town has a crucial difference: despite its party-hearty title, this album finds Stewart folding folk back into his sound, a move that deepens the music tonally and emotionally, particularly in the case of "The Killing of Georgie (Pts. 1 & 2)," Rod's most ambitious original. A winding, sensitive narrative about the murder of a gay friend — a hate crime years before the term existed — "The Killing of Georgie" finds Stewart filtering Dylan through his own warm, conversational style, creating a remarkable work unlike anything else in his body of work, yet the song's smooth synthesis of folk storytelling, soul, and incipient disco act as an appropriate conclusion to a side-long suite of songs of seduction, beginning with his classic come-on "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)," running through his splendid reading of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and his fine original "Fool for You." On the Fast Side, Stewart has only one original — the lewd, riotous "The Balltrap" — but he more makes up for it by spinning two country classics, Gib Guilbeau's "Big Bayou" and Hank Thompson's "The Wild Side of Life," into thick, Stonesy rock & roll, and turning Manfred Mann's "Pretty Flamingo" into a rave-up. With all this in mind, A Night on the Town isn't a revival of Atlantic Crossing, it's its inverse, with Stewart shining as an interpreter on the fast songs and writing the best slow ones, but it's also its equal, proving that Stewart could still stay true to his open-hearted, ragged soul while on a big budget. - Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AMG

   
    Artist: Rod Stewart
    Album: Atlantic Crossing (Limited Edition) 2 cd
    Label: Rhino
    Year: 1975
    Release: 2009
    Style: Pop-Rock
    Format mp3, bitrate: 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 1:59:45
    Size: 148 Mb (covers)
    AMG Rating:

Rod Stewart's sixth album was called Atlantic Crossing because the singer was literally crossing the Atlantic, making America his new home for reasons of the heart (he was fully enamored with actress Britt Ekland at the time) and the wallet (he was eager to escape Britain's restrictive tax rates). As it happens, 1975 was a perfect time for a new beginning for Stewart: the Faces were falling apart, his last LP, Smiler, wasn't roundly loved, and he had wrapped up his contract with Mercury and signed with Warner, so he completely rebooted, hiring legendary producer Tom Dowd to steer him through a slick, streamlined revamping of his signature sound. The first thing to be ditched were any traces of the ragged folkie who had popped up on all his first five solo albums, including on his career-making hit "Maggie May," a move that may partially have been due to Stewart's longtime writing partner Martin Quittenton deciding to sever ties with him...

     Artist: Rod Stewart
    Album: Thanks for the Memory... The Great American Songbook Volume IV
    Label: J-Records
    Release: 2005
    Style: Traditional Pop
    Format mp3, bitrate: 320 kb/s
    Time: 43:05
    Size: 105 Mb (covers)

Fourth album, same as the first. Ever since he successfully reinvented himself as a lazy lounge singer in 2002 with It Had to Be You: The Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart has been reliable as clockwork, releasing a collection of classic pop standards -- predictable choices performed predictably -- every second or third week of October. Four albums in, producers may have come and gone -- Phil Ramone left last time, Richard Perry is no longer around, leaving producer Steve Tyrell and arranger Bob Mann as the men in charge (of course, Clive Davis, the mastermind behind this whole shebang, is still around) -- but it's nearly impossible to tell the differences between Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 4 and the first or either that came between. Sure, there is an ever-increasing number of duets on the records -- the first had none, the second had two, the third had four, and this has seven, including instrumental appearances by George Benson and Chris Botti -- but the arrangements never are risky and always sound better suited for background music in a cocktail bar than on record...

     Artist: Smak
     Album: Zašto ne volim sneg
     Label: LP PGP RTB LP212096
     Year: 1981
     Release: 1981
     Format, bitrate: Mp3
     Time: 39:53
     Size: 74 or 79 MB



1981 saw the explosion of new wave scene in ex-Yugoslavia, which for that matter was one of the strongest scenes in Europe at that time, so the old prog guys including SMAK were largely forgotten by the media and the public. Following the lack of success of their last album "Rock cirkus", Mihajlovic decided to disband the group. Before doing that, he entered the studio with idea to make a solo album dedicated to his late brother, and for that purpose he gathered SMAK members for studio work. The label company insisted however that the record should be issued under SMAK name. Packed in the black cover sleeve, the album carries a dark, menacing fusion sound with mostly instrumental tracks. The original vocalist Arandjelovic did not rejoin the band so in the title song their old friend Dado Topic jumped in as a singer. This album is a very good swan song to the progressive career of SMAK, Mihajlovic is in top form as guitar soloist, especially in the popular cover of Macedonian traditional "Zajdi, zajdi", Ristovski's organ is back in place, while Milanovic's bass actually carries the music throughout the album. There is practically not a weak moment on the album with overall impecable arrangement and instrumentation, and the whole sound is well balanced from the starting furious tempo rocker "Juzni voz" to the ending ballad "Nebeski splav", both featuring the guest vocalist Z. Zivanovic. This album is a hidden gem in the catalogue of the ex-Yugoslavian progressive music and is highly recommended to prog fans. ~ Progarchives.com

Artist: Supersilent
Album:6
Label: Rune Grammofon
Year: 2001
Genre: Free Jazz, Electronica, Ambient
Format, bitrate: MP3, 192 kbps
Time: 57:48
Size: 80 MB

Play it over and over, and you will still find amazing things in Supersilent's 6. The level of unspoken understanding, interplay, and clarity of vision in experimentation is now beyond words. This album was put together from four days of improvisations in the studio. The digipack case doesn't mention the group members to reinforce the idea of a collective effort, but the press release confirms that the lineup has remained the same: Helge Sten (aka Deathprod) on electronics, Ståle Storløkken on keyboards and synthesizers, Jarle Vespestad on drums, and Arve Henriksen on trumpet and electronics. The music follows the ambient path laid down in 5, while adding more textural noise and hypnotic rhythms. Deathprod has selected a captivating set that unfolds delicately, immersing the listener on an hourlong journey. Unrehearsed and improvised as they may be, these pieces sound scripted at the very least, the individual interventions too well timed not to be planned ahead. Henriksen's sparse trumpet calls in "6.2" and his soft singing over light distorted piano in "6.6" provide memorable moments. In the fourth piece, the group finds an irresistible momentum propelled by Vespestad's drumming, the kind of freight-train-to-outer-space drive that should send all members of Godspeed You Black Emperor! back to their bedrooms. Supersilent simply does it better, without the irritating poise. Highly recommended to dreamers, droners, and avant rock lovers. François Couture, All Music Guide

     Artists:Blue Man Group
     Album: Audio
     Label: Virgin Records Us
     Year:1999)
     Format: MP3; 320 kb/s
     Size: 135 mb

Blue Man Group's debut album, Audio, reflects over a decade's worth of musical and theatrical innovation. While its whimsical, visually involving stage performances have been popular since the early '90s, the group waited to make an album until it could find a recording space large enough to house its unique instruments, which include walls of drums, networks of plumbing pipe, and different lengths of vibrating fiberglass rods. Audio incorporates all of these instruments, along with baritone guitars, Hungarian cimbaloms (which are similar to dulcimers), and Chapman Sticks, into 14 eclectic instrumentals. These songs were written specifically for Audio and have never been performed at a Blue Man stage production. Though the spectacle of the group playing its sculptural, surreal-looking instruments is absent from the album, the complex, resonant sound of Audio is engaging enough on its own. In fact, the swooshing of the sword poles on "Utne Live Wire" and the fluttering angel poles on "Endless Column" sound even more alien without the visual accompaniment. Some of Audio's pieces ("Drumbone," "PVC IV") spotlight a specific Blue Man-made instrument, while others ("TV Song," "Club Nowhere") display the group's avant-garde pop sensibilities. "Rods and Cones," "Cat Video," and "Opening Mandelbrot" are other standout tracks from Audio, an album that proves the Blue Man Group is as innovative in the studio as it is onstage. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide

     Artist: The Atomic Fireballs
     Album: Torch this place
     Year: 1999
     Label: Atlantic
     Genre: Retro Swing
     Format, bitrate: MP3@320 kbps
     Size: 93.6 m

Эта бомба должна быть здесь!!!
Альбом в лучших традициях фильма Маска!

     Detroit's Atomic Fireballs bring a fresh attitude to swing on their debut album Torch This Place. Tracks like "Man with the Hex," "Mata Hari" and "Starve a Fever" have a driven energy that shows why the group won many new fans on the 1998 Vans Warped Tour. Torch This Place is powerful fun for anyone into the new swing scene. Heather Phares, AMG

REPOST!

    Artist: Various Artists
    Album: Woodstock: 40 Years On Back to Yasgur's Farm
    Label: Rhino Records
    Year: 1969
    Release: 2009
    Format, bitrate: Mp3, 256 kb/s vbr
    Time: 7:48:45
    Size: 748 Mb (6 cd)
    AMG Rating:

            WOODSTOCK - 40 YEARS ANNIVERSARY

In a year filled with them, Rhino offers its own homage to Woodstock's 40th anniversary by rolling out this lavish six-CD box set. It can be argued that this is merely a cash-in, but a number of things should be considered when critically looking at a set of this size, covering one of the most important events in rock music history...