Traffic - The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (1971 uk mix of rock, folk, jazz, r&b and progressive - 2002 remaster edition - MP3 320K and FLAC)

Traffic's The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys is often praised as their best effort, and it might just be. This album is no doubt an exercise in everything that that the jazzier side of progressive rock does best.



Intricate arrangements with soft deliveries mixed and heavier tunes that let the audience rock out are all represented on this output, and the band could not have done any of the above better than they did with this release.



While the focus on the album may well be directed to the 11-minute title cut, all of the other songs on the album certainly deserve their praise. Since the album is one of the most thought out in all of prog history in terms of placement of songs (or so it seems) the album flows incredibly well.



Things get off to a mellow start from the first calming chords or Hidden Treasure, which also features some impressive vocal work. The middle of the album is represented by some of the heavier cuts, such as the rock ' rolling, Rock & Roll Stew, which sports some great soloing, and in its full version (a 6-minute cut is added to some remasters of the album), some very good instrumental noodling coming into the ending segment.



Really, the album plays out like a well-formulated chart, peaking in the middle in terms of heaviness and easing off at the start and finish.



Some of the most memorable songs are the slower ones, especially the ones that cap off the album. Many A Mile To Freedom is a somber and reflective piece that can really capture a mood if you let it.



Easygoing yet demanding, this is one of the best songs on the album. Of course, Rainmaker also deserves some due credit, the incredibly emotional coda highlighted by wonderful vocals and some very thoughtful playing makes this song worth waiting for when the end rolls around.



And now we get to the feature piece. The undeniable standout on this album has to be the excellent title track, The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys. Soft and fast pieces blend together wonderfully, and the band's style of jazz and rock really gets to shine here as they seem to have hit a vein with it.



If you've ever enjoyed jazzy music with a plethora of instruments which shifts its tempo in many places and some amazing vocals then this is the tune for you.



This album comes in contact with a lot of other genres, so eclectic is a very true placement for it. With moments of symphonic grandeur, canturburian groove, hard rock riffs and jazz rock fusion soloing this album is sure to please many, and even amaze some.



A true masterpiece in ever sense of the word, Traffic's The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys receives an easy 5 stars out of 5. Extremely recommended (by King By-Tor).











Track List:

01.Hidden Treasure (4:16)

02.The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys (12:10)

03.Rock & Roll Stew (4:29)

04.Many A Mile To Freedom (7:12)

05.Light Up Or Leave Me Alone (4:53)

06.Rainmaker (7:39)



Bonus track:

07.Rock And Roll Stew (single version) (6:07)





Traffic:

*Steve Winwood: vocals, guitar, piano, organ

*Jim Capaldi: vocals, percussion

*Rick Grech: violin, bass

*Chris Wood: flute, saxophone

*Jim Gordon: drums

*Reebop Kwaku Baah: percussion





[ Thank you LEANDRO for sending this post ]

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Tee And Cara - As They Are (68 us acid folk pop - MP3 320K and FLAC)

Tee and Cara were a boy/girl duo whose light flickered brilliantly for this album before fading altogether.



They were innocent of the workings of the music industry and, apparently, greatly disliked the instrumentation that was added to this album without their involvement.



The duo were probably right considering that the string arrangements do intrude too much in places, though the woodwinds add pleasing texture and depth.

Despite this, though, Tee & Cara’s own songs emerge triumphantly, building through the album to a very fine four-track culmination in Waiting List, I Don’t Think I Know Her, Just Thinkin’ and Nothing To You.



This 1968 New York recording, then, is truly worthy of the oft-misused “buried treasure” tag, defying exact characterisation other than resting in an early folkish singersongwriter vein.



Delicate covers of A Hard Day’s Night and I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ add well to the whole absolutely delightful package. (by Kingsley Abbott)

Tracklist:

01.Don't Ask Me Why

02.Keeping Track

03.Steppin' In Time

04.A Hard Day's Night

05.Fragment

06.I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'

07.Waiting List

08.I Don't Think I Know Her

09.Just Thinkin'

10.Nothing To You



[ Rip and scans by COR ... many thanks mate ]

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Neil Diamond - The Bang Years (1966-68 us, pearly pop with folk and sunshine drops, original mono recordings, 2011 remastered - MP3 320k and FLAC)

Neil Diamond transitioned from professional songwriter to performer when he signed with Bang Records in 1966. There, he cut two albums -- his 1966 debut The Feel of Neil Diamond and its 1967 sequel Just for You -- that contained his greatest songs: “Solitary Man,” “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” “Kentucky Woman,” “Thank the Lord for the Night Time,” “I’m a Believer,” “Red, Red Wine,” “The Boat That I Row,” “You Got to Me,” and “Shilo.”



All these, along with the rest of the two Bang albums all presented out of LP order, are on Columbia/Legacy’s 2011 The Bang Years: 1966-1968, by far the best overview ever assembled of this crucial era for Diamond. It’s not just that these are Diamond’s best songs but these are his best records: crisp, lively, colorful pop tunes balanced by luxurious moody brooding ballads.



Once he turned into a superstar Diamond tended to rely on his innate showmanship, but here at the beginning of his career he sounded hungry and knew how to have fun, giving these records a snap that still stings decades later. And Diamond knows just how good these recordings are, as indicated by the terrific autobiographical liner notes he’s penned for this collection, notes that give this music context, but they’re not necessary to appreciate The Bang Years: this is pop music that’s so pure it needs no explanation.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracks

1. Solitary Man - 2:34

2. Cherry, Cherry - 2:47

3. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon - 3:00

4. Kentucky Woman - 2:26

5. Thank the Lord For the Night Time - 3:03

6. You Got to Me - 2:52

7. I’m a Believer - 2:44

8. Red, Red Wine - 2:41

9. Boat That I Row - 2:39

10. Do It - 1:55

11. New Orleans (Frank Guida, Joseph Roster) - 2:26

12. Monday, Monday (John Phillips) - 3:01

13. Red Rubber Ball (Paul Simon) - 2:23

14. I’ll Come Running - 3:02

15. La Bamba (Ritchie Valens) - 2:09

16. Long Way Home - 2:31

17. I’ve Got the Feeling (Oh No No) - 2:20

18. You’ll Forget - 2:49

19. Love To Love - 2:22

20. Someday Baby - 2:18

21. Hanky Panky (Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich) - 2:49

22. Time Is Now - 3:06

23. Shilo - 3:25

All songs by Neil Diamond, except where noted.



Musicians

*Neil Diamond - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals

*Hugh McCrackin - Guitar, Harmonica

*Al Gorgoni, Sal DiTroia, Charlie Macy, Bill Suyker - Guitar

*Eric Gayle - Electric Guitar

*Artie Kaplan - Saxophone

*Eddie Bert, Nicky Gravine, Benny Powell - Trombone

*Artie Butler - Piano, Organ

*Herb Lavelle, Gary Chester , Buddy Saltzman - Drums

*Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry - Tambourine, Hand Claps, Background Vocals

*George Devens - Percussion



[ Rip and Scans by MARIOS ]

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Spike Drivers - Folkrocking Psychedelic Innovation From The Motor City In The Mid 60's (65-67 us psych and folk rock - MP3 320k and FLAC)

With such a descriptive title, perfectly capturing the general mood of this Detroit band, this collection almost needs no review at all.

You'll be assured to this fact as soon as you hear the opening lines of their '66 debut single's b-side (the longest single track at the time) "Often I wonder" or (appropriately titled) "Strange Mysterious Sounds", both with a doze of US "Kaleidoscopic" darkness combined with Eastern influenced folk-psych.
Even when they get a bit more conventional musically, like in the 'Spoonfulish "Baby won't you let me tell you how I lost my mind" or the Hendrix-gone-folky "Blue Law Sunday", the lyrical concept is still a bit moody.

Though they've never reached the commercial hights proportional to their possibilities, the one that should've taken them to the toppermost of the poppermost is their super-jangly a-side of their debut called "High Time", and besides all of these, there's also an unexpected goofy, Bonzo-Doggish take on the Californian saga, "Baby Can I Wear Your Clothes?".

The Spike-Drivers' second edition was a bit "wilder and freer" though not necessarily "stranger and funnier" as band member Sid Brown puts it in the liner notes.

"Portland Town" continues the eerie folk-psych sound of the early singles in a kinda Slick-y, way with an addition of almost classical string arrangement, to be followed with a couple of classic psych tracks, with an omnipresent middle eight fuzzed-out rave-up, like in "Everybody's Got That Feeling", the spiritual "I Know" or "Time Will Never Die", and you'll even find a bit of a honky tonk finger pickin' in "Grocery store".

The third segment of the CD is made of two folk-rockin' '65 demos, "Can't Stand The Pain" and the Holly-ish "I'm So Glad".

By the way: Sid Brown was the guy who told Mike Bloomfield of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band who to play an "Eastern" guitar; the result can be heard on "East-West", their second album on Elektra in 1966!

Tracklist:
01.Often I Wonder
02.Strange, Mysterious Sounds
03.Baby, Let Me Tell You
04.Blue Law Sunday
05.Baby, Can I Wear Your Clothes?
06.Got The Goods On You
07.High Time
08.Portland Town
09.Grocery Store
10.Everybody's Got That Feeling
11.I Know
12.Time Will Never Die
13.Sometimes
14.Can't Stand The Pain
15.I'm So Glad

Personnel :
*Marycarol Brown - vocals
*Sid Brown - lead guitar
*Ted Lucas - guitar, vocals
*Richard Keelan - 12-string guitar, bass, vocals
*Larry Cruse - drums
*Ron Cobb - bass, keyboards
*Marshall Rubinoff - vocals, rhythm guitar
*Steve Booker - drums

[ Rip and scans by COR ... many thanks mate ]
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Marcus - From The House Of Trax (1978-1979 us psychedelic, folk and progressive rock - FLAC - including live video recorded in louisville, 1979)

Nine times out of ten it seems that heavily hyped albums turn out to be major disappointments.

1979's "From the House of Trax" is one of those one out of ten exceptions - it lives up to and even exceeds the hype !!! I can't say I know a great deal about Marcus McDonald.

He was apparently from Kentucky, but relocated to Indiana, where this album was recorded at Trax Studios (hence the title).

Produced by Jim Fergusson, this private press release is also an exception in that it sounds far more accomplished that most such vanity products.

Literally dripping with spooky, heavily treated vocals, heavy guitar and psych moves, tracks such as 'Locked Inside a World', 'A Trip In Time' and 'The City of InBetween' are great.

Exemplified by tracks such as 'Gary's Song', 'I Want To Fly' and 'Right Inside of You Baby', the 'B' side opts for a slightly more mellow attack, but is every but as impressive.

Tuneful and concise (most of the nine selection clock in under four minutes), this one's a must own classic.

Besides, it's a wonderful album to crank up on a good stereo system. (As far as I can tell this is one of the real things - packaged in a plain disco cover with the bluish title past on over the center hole.

This one's retained it's blue color some tended to turn green with time (From http://www.geocities.com/badcatrecords/MARCUS.htm).


Captain Zella Queen:


Track List:
01.Youre Playing With Fire I
02.Locked Inside The World
03.A Trip In Time
04.The City Of Inbetween
05.Sweet Inspiration
06.Garys Song
07.Captain Zella Queen
08.I_Want To Fly
09.Right Inside Of You Baby
10.Satan
11.Youre Playing With Fire II

Marcus:
*Doug Fisher - keyboards
*Al Jones - bass
*Jeff Kruer - percussion
*David Ledger - keyboards
*Marcus McDonald - vocals, guitar, keyboards
*Will Naugle - bass
*John Pring - lead guitar
*Butch Stultz - rhythm guitar
*Terry Tyler - rhythm guitar


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[ Thank you DR BELL OTUS for video ]
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