Van Morrison & The Chieftans - Irish Heartbeat (1988)

Traveling to Ireland for one week, i remembered one of my favorite albums concerning the irish folk music. In one of his most acclaimed albums Van Morrison decided to take on the music which had inflicted so much influences and inspiration upon him.
Van Morrison [Allmusic link] had started out as a Celtic folk singer and with this album he moved back to his roots. After a long rock and jazz period this album was exactly what he needed to renew his image and get some new juice into the systems.
Listen to the almost incredible sincere vocals of Van and the eclectic muscicianship of the Chieftans [Allmusic link]. All these versions are almost right down to the tradition with instruments like: Bozooki, mandolin, fiddle and the bodhran.

Tracklist:

Star of the County down
Irish Heartbeat
Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta (My Match It Is Made)
Raglan Road
She moved Trough The Fair
I'll tell me Ma
Carrickfergus
Celtic Ray
My Lagan Love
Marie's Wedding

My favorite songs are Marie's Wedding, Tá Mo Chleamhnas Déanta and Star of the County down. Absolute superb versions of these songs. The album recorded in 1988 is a classic in Irish folk music and if you like this kind of music, check it out!

Allmusic link to the Record
Official website (Van Morrison)

XTC- [1989] - Oranges & Lemons [319k VBR]

XTC- [1989] - Oranges & Lemons [319k VBR]

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Oranges & Lemons is an album by the British band XTC. The name of the album may have been taken from the lyrics to Skylarking's "Ballet for a Rainy
Day."

The band was sent to Los Angeles to record the album, and Paul Fox was retained to produce it. As it was his first producing job, Fox tried to be easy to work with. The album was lushly produced with multiple overdubs on almost every track, yielding the psychedelic feel. The album didn't meet with significant approval by XTC, but the band was under pressure to create a hit single and the label liked it, so they didn't argue much. As part of the promotional materials for the album, XTC produced a quasi-puppet show called The Road To Oranges And Lemons making fun of the entire history of the album, from a meeting with Virgin Records head Richard Branson through the initial meeting with a glad-handing Paul Fox, and the actual recording.

Album information

The album produced a minor hit, "The Mayor of Simpleton," the only XTC song ever to top the US charts. The album was a commercial success, reaching the charts in both the US and Britain. "The Mayor of Simpleton" video also saw significant airplay on MTV, especially on the alternative music show "120 Minutes."

The album produced three hit singles: "The Mayor of Simpleton" – reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 46 on the UK singles chart. "King for a Day" which reached No. 10 on the US alternative / modern rock charts and "The Loving" which was released in August 1989 in the UK. The album reached No. 1 on the US college / alternative album chart, No. 44 on the US Billboard Top 100 chart and No. 28 on the UK album chart.

To promote the album and appease the stage-shy Andy Partridge the band went on a two-week acoustic radio-station tour of the US, on which they performed a few songs from the album and a few medleys of earlier hits. The tour commenced on May 15, 1989 in Boston and ended May 31, 1989 at Eastern Sound Studios in Toronto before a live studio audience of two hundred people.

Also of note: "King For a Day," which the band performed on Late Night With David Letterman on June 30, 1989; "Pink Thing," which was a classic XTC double entendre; "Chalkhills and Children," which lead singer Andy Partridge considers one of his favorite compositions.

The album cover is directly inspired by a 1965 WOR-FM 98.7 radio advert poster by Milton Glaser.

The British edition of the Oranges and Lemons album was available as a limited edition 3 MiniCD box set (CDVT2581).

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Xtc - Oranges & Lemons
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Artist...............: Xtc
Album................: Oranges & Lemons
Genre................: Pop
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1989
Ripper...............: Cd-ex 1.70 beta 2 & Plextor DVD-R PX-716AL
Codec................: LAME 3.97
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Joint Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3
Information..........: http://chalkhills.org/reelbyreal/a_orangeslemons.html

Ripped by............: «®× on 28-09-2007
Posted by............: «®× on 28-09-2007
News Server..........:
News Group(s)........: §|§KÑð®Ð¡©

Included.............: NFO, SFV
Covers...............: Front Back

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:05:03) - (VBR 319 kbit/s) Xtc - Garden Of Earthly Delights
2. (00:03:58) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - The Mayor Of Simpleton
3. (00:03:38) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - King For A Day
4. (00:03:35) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Here Comes President Kill Again
5. (00:04:11) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - The Loving
6. (00:03:28) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Poor Skeleton Steps Out
7. (00:04:42) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - One Of The Millions
8. (00:04:13) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Scarecrow People
9. (00:03:27) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Merely A Man
10. (00:03:18) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Cynical Days
11. (00:04:52) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Across This Antheap
12. (00:03:48) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Hold Me My Daddy
13. (00:03:48) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Pink Thing
14. (00:03:57) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Xtc - Miniature Sun
15. (00:04:52) - (VBR 319 kbit/s) Xtc - Chalkhills And Children

Playing Time.........: 01:00:51
Total Size...........: 141,67 MB

NFO generated on.....: 28-09-2007 01:44:38

Cud - [1990] - Elvis Belt [316k VBR]

Cud - [1990] - Elvis Belt [316k VBR]

Cud
From Wikipedia,

Background information:

Origin Leeds, England
Genre: Indie rock
Years active
1987 to 1995, 2006-

Label(s) Reception (1987 to1988), Imaginary (1988 to 1991), A&M (1991 to 1995).

Cud are a British indie band formed in Leeds, England in 1987, consisting of vocalist Carl Puttnam (b. Ilford, Essex), guitarist/keyboardist Mike Dunphy (b.Northumberland), bassist William Potter (b. Derby, England), and drummer Steve Goodwin (b. Croydon, Surrey).

Though an indie rock band, their music incorporated elements of funk. They were critically acclaimed throughout their career, but never broke through to a mainstream UK record-buying audience. Perhaps this was in part due to their eccentric lyrical concerns, which occasionally led to their dismissal as somewhat of a "joke" band.

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Cud - Elvis Belt
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Artist...............: Cud
Album................: Elvis Belt
Genre................: Alternative
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1990
Ripper...............: Cd-ex 1.70 beta 2 & Plextor DVD-R PX-716AL
Codec................: LAME 3.97
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Extreme, (avg. bitrate: 316kbps)
Channels.............: Joint Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3
Information..........: Link

Ripped by............: «®× on 23-09-2007
Posted by............: «®× on 23-09-2007
News Server..........:
News Group(s)........: §|§K

Included.............: NFO, SFV
Covers...............: Front

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:03:02) - (VBR 316 kbit/s) Cud - Slack Time
2. (00:02:22) - (VBR 316 kbit/s) Cud - Make No Bones
3. (00:04:45) - (VBR 318 kbit/s) Cud - Treat Me Bad
4. (00:02:36) - (VBR 317 kbit/s) Cud - Punishment -- Reward Relationship
5. (00:02:45) - (VBR 316 kbit/s) Cud - Under My Hat
6. (00:03:36) - (VBR 317 kbit/s) Cud - Lola
7. (00:01:08) - (VBR 312 kbit/s) Cud - Urban Spaceman
8. (00:01:54) - (VBR 315 kbit/s) Cud - Art!
9. (00:03:05) - (VBR 317 kbit/s) Cud - You're The Boss
10. (00:03:09) - (VBR 316 kbit/s) Cud - Only (A Prawn In Whitby)
11. (00:02:57) - (VBR 316 kbit/s) Cud - Hey!wire (The Stratospheric Mix)
12. (00:03:43) - (VBR 319 kbit/s) Cud - I've Had It With Blondes

Playing Time.........: 00:35:03
Total Size...........: 79,88 MB

NFO generated on.....: 23-09-2007 22:08:58


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Bob Dylan - The Rolling Thunder Revue (1975)

Bob Dylan [Allmusic link] is arguably the greatest writer and singer of the 20th and 21th century. These Live recordings done i 1975 shows the genius hiding inside the little man from Minnesota.

Bob Dylan started out as a folk musician, but he tired of this when the established artists and politicians tried to make him a pawn in their game, so by 1966 he changed it all around again. He started doing el concerts with a backing band (The Band [Allmusic link]) and wrote rock songs. In England he got threats and almost riots under his concerts. People were shocked, they came to see the polite and interesting Bob Dylan, not the rebellious. Issued in 2002 this double cd issue features bootleg and recordings never before released from The Rolling Thunder tour. The only thing i have to point out that it is not a complete set, Only highlights. Aside from that there is nothing that should stop you listening to some great concert tapes from one of the worlds greatest and most challenging live artists of all time.


The double set features 22 songs, whereas many of them are prime versions of the respectable songs. For instance "Hurricane" "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" "It's all over Now baby Blue" and "Romance in Durango". A Recommendation to all fans of Bob Dylan and music alike.

Bob Dylan Official Website
Allmusic link to The Record

Skids - [1978] - Scared To Dance [319k VBR]

Skids - [1978] - Scared To Dance [319k VBR]

Description

Having criminally fallen off the critical radar, the Skids haven't received the reappraisal they deserve in the wake of the successes of current media darlings like Franz Ferdinand and Arctic Monkeys.

Featuring the Celtic charm, acerbic wit and talismanic vocals of Richard Jobson alongside Stuart Adamson's often-copied frenetic riffing, it remains an electrifying debut from one of punk's more learned acts.

It's difficult to get off to a better start than the seminal 'Into the Valley', a song which Graham Coxon's solo career is largely in debt to, but the qualitymore… rarely falls below its level. 'Charles', Adamson's fantastical tale of a factory worker who becomes part of the machinery he is employed to operate, 'The Saints are Coming', 'Of One Skin' and 'Melancholy Soldiers' provide
the highlights, and are all equal to anything on the Clash’s debut.

Captain Oi has fleshed out the album with various EP tracks and b-sides, the most notable being the live favourite 'TV Stars', which sees Jobson namecheck a host of celebrities before the audience joins in with him shouting ‘Albert Tatlock!’Inside the 16-page booklet is a (much needed!) lyric sheet, sleeve art from releases relevant to the album, and a brief essay.

The sound quality is improved from previous issues, although the album is showing its age and the remastering isn't as solid as I’m sure it could be in the right hands, but it is the best currently available and is unlikely to be bettered anytime soon. Some of the bonus tracks also appear to be sourced from vinyl rather than the master tapes, but this remains the best version available of a classic, forgotten gem.

Info from

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Skids - Scared To Dance
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Artist...............: Skids
Album................: Scared To Dance
Genre................: Rock
Source...............: CD
Year.................: 1978
Ripper...............: Cd-ex 1.70 beta 2 & Plextor DVD-R PX-716AL
Codec................: LAME 3.97
Version..............: MPEG 1 Layer III
Quality..............: Insane, (avg. bitrate: 320kbps)
Channels.............: Joint Stereo / 44100 hz
Tags.................: ID3 v1.1, ID3 v2.3
Information..........: Link

Ripped by............: «®× on 12-09-2007
Posted by............: «®× on 12-09-2007

Included.............: NFO, SFV
Covers...............: Front Back CD

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Tracklisting
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1. (00:03:20) - (VBR 318 kbit/s) Skids - Into The Valley
2. (00:03:17) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Scared To Dance
3. (00:02:27) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Of One Skin
4. (00:03:31) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Dossier (Of Fallibility)
5. (00:03:02) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Melancholy Soldiers
6. (00:03:17) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Hope And Glory
7. (00:02:38) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - The Saints Are Coming
8. (00:02:10) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Six Times
9. (00:04:03) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Calling The Tune
10. (00:02:39) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Integral Plot
11. (00:02:48) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Charles
12. (00:04:43) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Scale
13. (00:02:32) - (VBR 319 kbit/s) Skids - Sweet Suburbia
14. (00:01:53) - (VBR 319 kbit/s) Skids - Open Sound
15. (00:01:44) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Tv Stars
16. (00:02:38) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Night And Day
17. (00:02:43) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Contusion
18. (00:02:08) - (VBR 320 kbit/s) Skids - Reasons
19. (00:02:04) - (VBR 318 kbit/s) Skids - Test Tube Babies

Playing Time.........: 00:53:36
Total Size...........: 123,03 MB

NFO generated on.....: 12-09-2007 00:16:14

Bruce Hornsby & Bela Fleck - Concert takes from 1996 (1996)

Ok i know, i know... Bruce Hornsby [Allmusic link], not known for the best music in the world, and not that special in any way. But hey i really like this album.
I was recorded in 1996 during a session/concert with Bela Fleck [Allmusic link] and has no name and has never been released as a cd. I found it online and i just started listening to it. The first song i played was Mandolin Rain/Brokedown Palace. Those two songs combined made for beautiful arrangements. He also has some of the more known hits like "The way It is" (Mostly known trough 2pac's version) and "End of the Innocence"

What really hits me is what three instruments on a scene can do. These recordings sound allot like Bobby Mcferrin and Chick Coreas recordings and they are very easy to listen to. Piano, Banjo and Vocal. I Guess this album is for anyone who likes 80's hits in new and more sophisticated arrangements.

Bela Fleck's website
Bruce Hornsby's website
Rapidshare link Cd 1
Rapidshare link Cd 2

Christiania - [1976] [212k VBR]

Christiania - [1976] [212k VBR]

Artist: Various Artists
Title : Christiania
Genre: ROCK
Format: LP
Record label: ©BS Records
Catalogue no: Christiania 1
Year of release: 1976

Scarce 1976 Christiania compilation LP manufactured in support of Christiania, Denmark


Tracklisting:

Side 1:
1. Sebastian & Peter Thorup: Budbringeren
2. Djursland Spillemænd: Christianitter, jydske knejte
3. Bifrost: Titusind folk
4. Savage Rose: De vilde blomster gror
5. Hyldemor: Ud af mørket
6. Jørgensen, C. V.: Ghetto Svend
7. Ache: Majestætens marionetter
8. Secret Oyster: Orlavær

Side 2:
9. Totalpetroleum: Operation Godylorange
10. Gnags: Ulvetid
11. Larsen, Kim: Det er en kold tid
12. Spillemændene: Christiane
13. Osiris: Christiania kampsang
14. Røde Mor: Nu ka' det snart være nok
15. Det Internationale Sigøjner Kompagni: I kan ikke slå os ihjel