Various: The Indie Scene 1982 + The Indie Scene 1983 + The Indie Scene 1984 The Story Of British Independent Music

                                     

 01. VARIOUS - THE INDIE SCENE 1982 - THE STORY OF THE BRITISH INDEPENDENT MUSIC

                      

VIRGIN  PRUNES

The Connoisseur Collection's ten-volume Indie Scene 1982: The Story of British Independent Music series maps the shift from punk to post-punk and new wave in the U.K. from 1977 to 1986.  

WALL  OF  VOODOO

Focusing on artists who were on fledgling independent labels and thus digging up plenty of otherwise forgotten chips from the late '70s and early '80s fireball, each volume contains more than enough for voracious neophytes to sink their teeth into. 

FAD  GADGET

And if you were a scenester back then and need to relive the glory of all those singles your mom threw out while you were at your umpteenth punk festival, these compilations should plug some gaps. 

NEW  ORDER

The Indie Scene 1982 closes out the series with an array of dancefloor fodder, goth rock, old folkies, jangle pop, and new wave songs. 

Various – The Indie Scene 82
Label: Connoisseur Collection – IBM CD 82
Series: The Indie Scene – 82
Format: CD, Compilation, PDO
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave, Goth Rock, Indie Rock, Punk, Synth-pop, Post-Punk

TRAXS

                    

01. Aztec Camera – Pillar To Post   3:40
Performer – Roddy Frame
Written-By – Roddy Frame    
02. The Wild Swans – Revolutionary Spirit   4:18
Written-By – Quinn, Kelly, Simpson    
03. The Room – Things That Have Learnt To Walk That Ought To Crawl   3:36
Performer [Leaders] – Becky Stringer, Dave Jackson 
Written-By – Dave Jackson     
04. Everything But The Girl – Night And Day   2:53
Performer – Ben Watt, Tracey Thorn
Written-By – Porter
05. The Alarm – Marching On   3:33
Written-By – McDonald, Peters
06. Robert Wyatt – Shipbuilding   3:03
Written-By – Clive Langer, Elvis Costello    
07. New Order – Temptation   5:56
Written-By – Dickin, Sumner, Gilbert, Hook, Morris    
08. Fad Gadget – Saturday Night Special   4:33
Written-By – Barbara Fros, Gadget    
09. Lori & The Chameleons – Lonely Spy   3:28
Other [Instigated By] – Bill Drummond
Written-By – Drummond, David Balfe, Balfe    
10. Wall Of Voodoo – On Interstate 15   2:40
Performer – Marc Moreland, Stan Ridgway
Written-By – Wall Of Voodoo    
11. Thomas Leer – All About You   3:48
Written-By – Leer    
12. Shriekback – My Spine Is The Bassline   3:59
Written-By – Andrews, Marsh, Allen    
13. The Higsons – Conspiracy   3:02
Written-By – Higson, Williams, Charterton, McGeachin, Edwards    
14. The Farmer's Boys – More Than A Dream   3:47
Written-By – The Farmer's Boys    
15. The Marine Girls – On My Mind   3:11
Performer – Tracey Thorn
Written-By – Thorn    
16. Mari Wilson With The Wilsations – Beat The Beat   3:01
Performer – Mari Wilson
Written-By – Tot Taylor    
17. The Adicts – Viva The Revolution   3:45
Written-By – The Adicts    
18. Lords Of The New Church – Open Your Eyes   3:42
Performer – Brian James, Stiv Bators
Written-By – James, Bator    
19. Gene Loves Jezebel – Shaving My Neck   2:54
Written-By – J Aston, M Aston    
20. Virgin Prunes – Pagan Love Song   3:27
Written-By – Figgis, Watson, Rowen, Hanvey, Evans, Strongman    
21. The Passage – XOYO   3:53
Written-By – Witts    
22. Toy Dolls – Nellie The Elephant (Original Version)   3:22
Written-By – Hart, Buckler

Flac Size: 510 MB

02. VARIOUS - THE INDIE SCENE 1983 - THE STORY OF THE BRITISH INDEPENDENT MUSIC

                       

THE  THREE JOHNS

Rather like goth, indie music is one of pop’s most nebulous genres. The myriad bands operating within its parameters are generally labeled “indie rock” or “indie pop,” but in reality, its boundaries are much broader. 

YAZOO

What should be stressed above all else is that the notion of indie music derives from the word “independent”: in this context, small and relatively low-budget record labels inspired by punk’s DIY ethos and releasing music for misfits made by the maverick outsiders who reject the corporate world of rock’n’roll.

THE  MONOCHROME  SET

The story of indie music as we know it begins with Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP. First released in April 1977, this influential four-track 7” from the iconic Manchester pop-punk quartet is widely recognized as rock’s first independently-funded and distributed disc. 

THE  GO-BETWEENS

The fact that it sold out its original pressing of 1,000 copies and then went on to move a further 15,000 copies effectively created the blueprint for independent labels in one fell swoop. 

GENE  LOVES  JEZEBEL

In fact, such was Spiral Scratch’s impact that, by the end of 1978, the UK alone boasted of hundreds of self-starting imprints with game-changing labels such as Rough Trade, Factory, and Mute already well into their infancy. 

NEW  MODEL  ARMY

Yet, while these landmark imprints attracted reams of critical praise, commercial success initially proved elusive. Issued by Rough Trade, Stiff Little Fingers’ incendiary 1979 debut, Inflammable Material, became the first independently-released album to sell over 100,000 copies, while a few choice indie singles, such as Joy Division’s sublime “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough,” chalked up bona fide UK Top 30 placings on the cusp of the 80s. 

THE  BIRTHDAY  PARTY

However, many small imprints were still the preserve of the have-a-go entrepreneur whose goals were merely to release a lone single and perhaps secure a session on BBC Radio 1’s John Peel show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various – The Indie Scene 83
Label: Connoisseur Collection – IBM CD 83
Series: The Indie Scene – 83
Format: CD, Compilation, PDO Pressing
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic, Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, New Wave, Indie Rock, Synth-pop, Industrial

TRAXS

                     

01. Yazoo – Nobody's Diary   3:53
Performer – Alison Moyet, Vince Clarke
Written-By – Alison Moyet
02. The Assembly – Never Never   3:39
Vocals – Feargal Sharkey
Written-By – Vince Clarke
03. Jane – It's A Fine Day   2:45
Featuring [Featured], Vocals [Acappella Throatings] – Jane (4)
Written-By – J. Barton    
04. Wall Of Voodoo – Mexican Radio   4:08
Vocals [Deep Vocal Growl] – Stan Ridgway
Written-By – Wall Of Voodoo    
05. Prefab Sprout – The Devil Has All The Best Tunes   4:38
Written-By – P. McAloon    
06. Red Guitars – Good Technology   4:34
Written-By – S. Ross    
07. Tracey Thorn – Plain Sailing  2:01 
Written-By – Thorn    
08.Ben Watt – Some Things Don't Matter   4:22
Wri tten-By – Watt    
09. The Go-Betweens – Cattle And Cane   3:34
Written-By – McLennan, Forster
10. The Monochrome Set – Jet Set Junta   2:03
Written-By – Warren, Bid, Square    
11. New Model Army – Great Expectations   3:15
Written-By – J. Sullivan, S. Morrow    
12. The Nightingales – Crafty Fag   3:07
Performer – Robert Lloyd
Written-By – A. Lloyd, M. Beales, P. Apperly, R. Lloyd    
13. The Three Johns – A.W.O.L.  3:25 
Performer – Jon Langford 
Written-By – Three Johns    
14. The Icicle Works – Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)   3:15
Written-By – Ian McNabb    
15. Gene Loves Jezebel – Bruises   3:23
Featuring [The Aston Brothers] – Jay Aston, Michael Aston
Written-By – J. Aston, M. Aston
16. The Birthday Party– Sonny's Burning   2:20
Lyrics By, Vocals [Vocalist] – Nick Cave
Written-By – M. Harvey, N. Cave, R. S. Howard, T. Pew    
17. The Fall – Kicker Conspiracy   3:24
Performer – Mark E. Smith
Written-By – The Fall    
18. New Order – Blue Monday   7:27
Written-By – New Order
19. Colourbox – Breakdown   3:27
Performer – Martin Young, Steven Young
Written-By – I. Robbins, M. Young    
20. Depeche Mode – Everything Counts   3:57
Written-By – M. L. Gore
21. Shriekback – Lined Up   4:02
Written-By – Andrews, Marsh, Allen
22. Cabaret Voltaire – Yashar  2:56 
Written-By – Watson, Kirk, Mallinder

Flac Size: 496 MB
    
03. VARIOUS - THE INDIE SCENE 1984 - THE STORY OF THE BRITISH INDEPENDENT MUSIC    

                           

MEN  THEY  COULD'NT  HANG

New Model Army reached number 1 on the UK Indie Charts and number 98 on the UK Singles Chart in 1984 with their third single, "The Price." Nick Cave moved to West Berlin in 1983 and covered Elvis Presley's "In the Ghetto" in 1984. 

CULT

Was his song choice related to his move? Sandy Shaw, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967 with "Puppet on a String" and actually ended her career in 1969, covered The Smiths' "Hand in Glove."

ANNE  CLARK

Anne Clark created a synth-pop classic that year with her first single, "Our Darkness," as did Depeche Mode with "Master and Servant." The Cult created a gothic rock classic with their second single, "Spiritwalker" (from their debut album, "Dreamtime").

MICRODISNEY

Otherwise, this compilation features lesser-known bands, such as... For example, the folk-punk band The Man They Could’t Hang performed "The Green Fields of France (No Man’s Land)," a cover version of a 1976 anti-war song by Eric Bogle, who also wrote the well-known folk song "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda," which has been performed by artists including Joan Baez, The Dubliners, and The Pogues. 

NICK  CAVE

Another familiar name appears in one of the bands: Float Up CP was one of the bands Neneh Cherry sang in before launching her successful solo career. Unfortunately, the song "Joy’s Address" is only available on YouTube. The song blends post-punk with ska, jazz, and soul elements.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various – The Indie Scene 84
Label: Connoisseur Collection – IBM CD 84
Series: The Indie Scene – 84
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: UK
Released: 1992
Genre: Electronic, Rock, Pop
Style: Alternative Rock, Synth-pop, Indie Rock, Indie Pop

TRAXS

                    

 

01. Red Box – Chenko   3:33
Written-By – S. Toulsen-Clarke
02. Men They Couldn't Hang – The Green Fields Of France (No Man's Land)   6:30
Written-By – E Bogle    
03. Frank Chickens – We Are Ninja   3:22
Written-By – Toop, Hoki, Tagushi, Bersford, Watsuba    
04. Nick Cave – In The Ghetto   4:06
Written-By – Screen Germs
05. Sandie Shaw – Hand In Glove   2:59
Featuring – The Smiths
Performer [The Smiths Without Morrissey] – Andy Rourke, Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce
Written-By – Marr, Morrissey
06. Anne Clark – Our Darkness   5:12
Written-By – A. Clark, D. Harrow    
07. Daintees – Roll On Summertime   3:23
Written-By – M. Stephenson
08. Hurrah – Who'd Have Thought?   3:28
Written-By – D. Hughes    
09. Jasmine Minks – Think   3:20
Written-By – Sanderson, Shepherd
10. Pastels – Something's Going On   3:02
Written-By – Taylor, Mc Robbie    
11. Red Guitars – Steeltown   3:35
Written-By – Lewis, Kidd    
12. Moodists – Enough Legs To Live On   2:49
Written-By – Walsh, Moore, Gane, Turner, Millar, The Moodist    
13. 1000 Mexicans – The Last Pop Song   3:10
Written-By – 1000 Mexicans
14. Microdisney – Dolly   3:22
Written-By – C. Coughlan, S. O'Hagan    
15. New Model Army – The Price   3:25
Performer – Slade The Leveller
Written-By – J. Sullivan, S. Morrow    
16. Three Johns – Do The Square   2:35
Featuring – Jon Langford 
Written-By – Three Johns    
17. Cult – Spiritwalker   3:11
Performer – Ian Astbury
Written-By – Duffy, Astbury    
18. Float Up CP – Joy's Address   3:37
Performer – Gareth Sager, Neneh Cherry
Written-By – G. Sager    
19. Chakk – Out Of The Flesh   3:54
Written-By – Cross, Boyle, Harries, Brydon, Lister    
20. A Certain Ratio – Life's A Scream   6:36
Written-By – A Certain Ratio    
21. Depeche Mode – Master And Servant   3:52
Written-By – M. L. Gore

Flac Size: 515 MB

 

The Indie Scene 1977 HERE 

The Indie Scene 1978 HERE CD1   CD2

The Indie Scene 1979 HERE

The Indie Scene 1980 HERE

The Indie Scene 1981 HERE 

Roddy Frame: The North Star 1998 + Surf 2002

This post is dedicated to my friend Andy Swapp and his beautiful Blog "The Blog Nobody Reads".

Roddy Frame (born 29 January 1964) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. He was the founder of the 1980s new wave band Aztec Camera and has undertaken a solo career since the group's dissolution. In November 2013, journalist Brian Donaldson described Frame as: "Aztec Camera

wunderkind-turned-elder statesman of intelligent, melodic, wistful Scotpop." Since the end of the Aztec Camera project, Frame has released four solo albums, the last of which is 2014's Seven Dials. Best known as the leader of Scottish pop group Aztec Camera, Roddy Frame burst onto the U.K. pop scene as a songwriting wunderkind who became a critical favorite while still in his teens. If the stardom expected of him never quite stuck, Frame has earned a reputation as a gifted, literate tunesmith who has enjoyed a long-running and uncompromising career. 
                     

Released in 1998, The North Star became Roddy Frame's first official solo effort, and his first record as part of a new deal with Sony. Dominated by acoustic pop sounds and jangling guitars, The North Star was a critical success but a commercial disappointment, and when Frame re-emerged with the low-key

voice-and-guitar effort Surf in 2002, he'd partnered with the independent Cooking Vinyl label. Frame's third album, Western Skies, was released in 2006, and except for a pair of live discs, little was heard from Frame over the next several years, though he did occasional live shows and appeared on Edwyn Collins' 2010 comeback album, Losing Sleep.  In 2013 began working on his first solo album in over a decade. The resulting Seven Dials was a sunny, pop-focused record -- in comparison to the stark, stripped-back Western Skies -- and was released by AED in May of 2014. 

                                        

RODDY FRAME - THE NORTH STAR 1998

                 

If The North Star isn't this artist at his best, then he must have purely transcendental songs up his sleeve for future releases. With this confident solo debut, as strong or stronger than any Aztec Camera release, Roddy Frame confirms his status as a first-rate emotional balladeer. 
                      

Roddy Frame – 1998 - The North Star
Label: Independiente – ISOM 7CD
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1998
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock

TRACKS

                      

01. Back To The One    4:01
02. The North Star    4:04
03. Here Comes The Ocean    3:23
04. River Of Brightness    4:22
05. Strings    4:10
06. Bigger Brighter Better    3:27
07. Autumn Flower    4:17
08. Reason For Living    3:16
09. Sister Shadow    3:38
10. Hymn To Grace    2:54

LINE - UP

Backing Vocals – Andy Caine
Bass – Clare Kenny, Yolanda Charles
Drums – Jeremy Stacey
Percussion – Barrie Barlow, Luis Jardim
Piano, Organ, Keyboards – Mark Edwards 
Producer – Roddy Frame, Simon Dawson

Flac Size: 254 MB

RODDY FRAME - SURF 2002

                   

Roddy Frame's 2002 album Surf is a slow-burning masterpiece that everyone should hear. (Philip Cummins: A Dublin-born academic and writer living in rural County Kildare. ) 
                  

Roddy Frame – 2002 - Surf
Label: Cooking Vinyl – COOKCD 225
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: Oct 8, 2002
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Folk Rock, Indie Pop

TRACKS

                  

01. Over You    3:05
02. Surf    4:15
03. Small World    3:52
04. I Can't Start Now    3:41
05. Abloom    2:17
06. Tough    2:18
07. Big Ben    3:37
08. High Class Music    3:09
09. Turning The World Around    3:16
10. Mixed Up Love    3:14
11. For What It Was    3:02

U.S BONUS TRACKS        

    
12. Crossing Newbury Street    4:22
13. Your Smile Stops The Hands Of Time    4:23

NOTES

Producer – Roddy Frame
Written-By, Performer [Performed By] – Roddy Frame

Flac Size: 246 MB

Aztec Camera On Urban Aspirines HERE

Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain 1983

 

Aztec Camera were formed in East Kilbride in 1980 by Roddy Frame and drummer David Mulholland after they had left the punk-inspired band Neutral Blue. Eclectic, intelligent, and well-crafted pop from Scotland featuring Roddy Frame and a rotating band of accompanists. Aztec Camera first appeared on a Glasgow cassette-only compilation of local unsigned bands on the Pungent

Records label, affiliated with the Fumes fanzine run by Danny Easson and John Gilhooly. The band's first United Kingdom (UK) single release was sold in a 7" format by Postcard Records—a Glasgow-based independent record label cofounded by Edwyn Collins and Alan Horne—in 1981. The single featured the song "Just Like Gold" and a B-side entitled "We Could Send Letters"; an acoustic version of the latter song appeared on a compilation album, entitled C81, that was released on cassette in 1981 through a partnership between NME magazine and Rough Trade Records. Frame, aged 16 years, met Collins for the first time during the Postcard period when the latter was 21 years old.
                 

At different times in their career the Scottish pop group Aztec Camera were indie darlings, high-charting pop stars, and skilled crafters of sophisticated modern sounds. Guided by Roddy Frame's deft guitar playing, nifty way with a melody, and a warm and inviting vocals style, the band debuted with a legendary

single, 1981's "Just Like Gold" and instant classic album, 1983's High Land, Hard Rain. No matter the setting, Frame's songwriting could be counted on to cut through the stylistic shifts deliver the kind of adult listening experience the band's fans desired. After High Land Hard Rain, Bernie Clarke left the band, and was replaced by Malcolm Ross on second guitar and backing vocals. Aztec Camera changed record labels once again for the release of their second album, Knife, which was released through WEA (Warner Music Group).
                         

Aztec Camera were primarily a pop group centred on Frame's acoustic guitar work, which featured prominently on their first album High Land, High Rain. Their folk- and jazz-inflected style of pop became

more polished on their second album, Knife, with the introduction of electronic synthesizers and R&B elements. R&B grew more prominent on the third album, Love, a dance-pop outing that proved less popular. This development was throttled back for the group's fourth album Stray, which featured more streamlined rock singles and was described by AllMusic as a "loosely connected cycle mingling folk, soul, and pop in varying proportions". Over the group's career, their music has been described as new wave, sophisti-pop, jangle pop, indie pop and post-punk.

AZTEC CAMERA - HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN 1983

                                    

Some performers never make a bigger splash than with their first record, a situation that the Ramones and De La Soul know all too well.Some performers never make a bigger splash than with their first 
record, a situation that the Ramones and De La Soul know all too well. Very much the contemporaries of

such well-scrubbed Scottish guitar pop confectionaries as Orange Juice, but with the best gumption and star quality of them all, Aztec Camera led off the album with "Oblivious," a mini-masterpiece of acoustic guitar hooks, lightly funky rhythms, and swooning backing vocals. If nothing tops that on High Land, Hard Rain, most of the remaining songs come very close, while they also carefully avoid coming across like a series of general sound-alikes. Whether listeners want to investigate further from here is up to them, but High Land, Hard Rain itself is a flat-out must-have. 
                                

Aztec Camera – 1983 - High Land, Hard Rain
Label: Edsel Records – EDSA 5011
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Expanded Edition
Country: UK & Europe
Released: Sep 3, 2012
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, Pop Rock, Acoustic

TRACKS
                  

HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN

                     

    
01. Oblivious    3:05
02. The Boy Wonders    3:14
03. Walk Out To Winter    3:23
04. The Bugle Sounds Again    2:57
05. We Could Send Letters    5:46
06. Pillar To Post    4:00
07. Release    3:41
08. Lost Outside The Tunnel    3:41
09. Back On Board    4:52
10. Down The Dip    2:22

BONUS TRACKS        

    
11. Queen's Tattoos    2:09
12. Haywire    3:56
13. Orchid Girl    2:32
14. Set The Killing Free    3:45
15. Oblivious (12" Mix)    3:49
16. Walk Out To Winter (12" Extended Version)    7:46
17. Oblivious (12" Extended Remix)    4:36

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Written-By, Arranged By – Roddy Frame
Bass – Campbell Owens
Drums, Percussion – David Ruffy
Organ, Piano, Producer – Bernie Clarke

NOTES

An alternate version of track 16 exists that runs 9:12, but the one here is the original 12" mix.

Flac Size: 462 MB

Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women: The Uppity Blues Women 1990 + Hot Flash 1991 + Cleaning House 1996

 

Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women was a three-woman blues musical ensemble in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1984 by Ann Rabson, Gaye Adegbalola and Earlene Lewis. Lewis separated from the band in 1992 and was replaced by Andra Faye.The group then featured Rabson

on piano, vocals and guitar, Adegbalola on vocals and guitar, and Faye on vocals, bass, mandolin, violin and guitar. At one point in the early '90s, the ladies from Saffire just considered themselves blues historians, but since their performing career has gotten launched on the festival circuit, they've become much more than that. All three have developed into talented songwriters. Since blues fans are always looking for fresh themes or new twists on old themes, this trio is a sought-after club and festival act.       

                   

                 
These acoustic musicians inject a sense of humor into their songs and take it with them on-stage. There is also a strong thread of feminism running through Saffire and their recorded output. The group's other albums for Alligator include their 1990 debut, Saffire -- The Uppity Blues Women (1990), Hot Flash

(1991), and Broadcasting (1992). Their prolific output as songwriters is matched only by their desire to tour, as they perform everywhere and anywhere, having already made several U.S., Canadian, and European tours. In 1998 the trio released Live and Uppity, a rousing document of their crowd-pleasing stage act. After a five-year layoff since their last studio recording (during which time Rabson recorded two solo records), Saffire returned with another strong record, Ain't Gonna Hush, in 2001. Havin' the Last Word appeared in 2009. 
                       

Saffire was the first acoustic band to be signed by Alligator Records. Their song "Middle Aged Blues Boogie," written by Adegbalola, was named best original song at the W.C. Handy Awards (now the Blues Music Awards) in 1990. Saffire has shared the stage with B.B. King, Ray Charles, Willie Dixon and Koko

Taylor. The group's fundamental appeal -- to growing numbers of music fans who don't know much about blues -- is their original songs and their ability to dig up and reinterpret old blues gems from the 1920s and '30s. They specialize in songs made by the sassy original blues divas including Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, and Ida Cox. An announcement on the group's website in November, 2009, stated Saffire had retired and amicably disbanded. Rabson died on January 30, 2013, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, after a long battle with cancer. She was 67. Andra Faye is now living and playing in the Indianapolis, Indiana area.

                                 

01. SAFFIRE - UPPITY BLUES WOMEN 1990

                            

In 1984, three middle-aged women (guitarist Gaye Adegbalola, bassist Earlene Lewis and pianist Ann Rabson) came together to play blues as Saffire. Their 1990 Alligator CD is still Saffire's best all-around

recording. Even overlooking the novelty of three women giving a female and middle-aged slant to the blues, this is a highly enjoyable and musical set. Assisted on three numbers by Mark Wenner's harmonica, Saffire plays spirited versions of such tunes as "Middle Aged Blues Boogie," "Even Yuppies Get the Blues," "Fess Up When You Mess Up," "I Almost Lost My Mind" and their theme "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues." Gems precisely and beautifully performed. Recommended.
                            

Saffire -The Uppity Blues Women – 1990 - The Uppity Blues Women
Label:Alligator Records – ALCD 4780
Format:CD, Album
Country:UK & Europe
Released: 1990
Genre: Rock
Style: Chicago Blues

TRACKS

                         

    
01. Middle Aged Blues Boogie    5:42
02. Take It On Back    2:33
03. Annie's Blues    3:57
04. Even Yuppies Get The Blues    2:39
05. Drown In My Own Tears    5:40
06. Three Time Loser    3:33
07. Fess Up When You Mess Up    3:31
08. Silent Thunder In My Heart    3:19
09. School Teacher's Blues    3:38
10. I Almost Lost My Mind    5:10
11. Wild Women Have The Blues    2:41

LINE - UP

Piano, Vocals – Ann Rabson
Bass, Vocals – Earlene Lewis
Guitar, Vocals – Gaye Adegbalola
Harmonica – Mark Wenner (tracks: A2, B1 & B6)

Flac Size: 279 MB

02. SAFFIRE - HOT FLASH 1991

                        

In many ways, Hot Flash is the definitive Saffire album. Racy and sassy -- and to some tastes cutesy -- the

album is a fun, free-thinking update of classic female blues, performed with gusto and verve. The instrumentation is sparse -- a piano, guitar, bass, harmonica, and kazoo provide the foundation of the music -- but the focus of these songs is solely on the vocals, which are vigorous and humorous. If you share Saffire's sense of humor, it's a rollicking good time. 
                                       

Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women – 1991 - Hot Flash
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4796
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1991
Genre: Rock
Style: Chicago Blues

TRACKS

                      

01. Two In The Bush Is Better Than One In The Hand  3:12 
Harmonica – Billy Branch
Written-By – Adegbalola
02. Sloppy Drunk   3:06
Written-By – Bogan
03. One Good Man   2:37
Written-By – Bryson
04. Dirty Sheets   4:11
Harmonica – Billy Branch
Written-By – Adegbalola    
05. Tom Cat Blues   2:47
Written-By – Rabson
06. Learn To Settle For Less   4:32
Written-By – Adegbalola
07. You'll Never Get Me Out Of Your Mind   3:11
Written-By – Rabson
08. (Mr. Insurance Man) Take Out That Thing    3:51
09. Hopin' It'll Be Alright   3:33
Written-By – Rabson
10. A Little Bit Of Your Loving Goes A Very Long Way  3:00 
Guitar – Ann Rabson
Harmonica – Billy Branch
Written-By – Adegbalola    
11. Shopping For Love   3:27
Written By – Caswell & Clark
12. Elevator Man   3:31
Guitar – Ann Rabson
Written-By – Rabson    
13. Torch Song #1 / Torch Song #2   4:18
Written-By – Adegbalola    
14. Why Don't You Do Right?   2:40
Written-By – McCoy
15. Prove Me Wrong   3:02
Written-By – Rabson
16. (No Need) Pissin' On A Skunk   3:39
Written-By – Adegbalola
    

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar – Gaye Adegbalola
Vocals, Piano, Kazoo – Ann Rabson
Vocals, Bass – Earlene Lewis

Flac Size: 292 MB

03. SAFFIRE - CLEANING HOUSE 1996

                               

Another generally likable album from Saffire, Cleaning House contains plenty of the bold, sassy material (e.g., "Hungry Woman's Blues," "If Love Hurts, You're Not Doing It Right," "Tomorrow Ain't Promised")

listeners have come to expect from the band that half seriously, half tongue-in-cheek, bills itself as the Uppity Blues Women. All three women take turns on lead vocals; Andra Faye McIntosh's singing is particularly enjoyable. The 17-song acoustic set includes five originals from band member Gaye Adegbalola, three originals from bandmate Ann Rabson, and a spirited variety of songs written by old-timers like Memphis Minnie and contemporary songsmiths like Rick Estrin. 
                 

Saffire -The Uppity Blues Women – 1996 - Cleaning House
Label: Alligator Records – ALCD 4840
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genre: Blues
Style: Chicago Blues
    
TRACKS

                         

01. Because Of You   2:37
Written-By – Barnes
02. Hungry Woman's Blues    4:06
Written-By – Abegbalol
03. Rocket Ship   2:46
Written-By – Rabson    
04. In My Girlish Days   3:32
Written-By – Lawler    
05. Don't Do It   4:49
Written-By – Estrin
06. (I'll Be Your) Sweet Black Angel   4:40
Arranged By – Abegbalola
Written-By – Bogan
07. I'd Rather Be Alone   4:46
Written-By – Rabson
08. Love Me To Death    4:45
Written-By – Dixon    
09. I Lost My Baby To Another Man   4:28
Lead Guitar – Steve Freund
Written-By – Abegbalola
10. If Love Hurts (You're Doing It Right)   2:52
Written-By – Fred Koller, Brandon
11. Nobody But You    3:51
Written-By – Copeland
12. I Want My Money Back   3:31
Written-By – Abegbalola    
13. Blues Is In The House    5:05
Written-By – Abegbalola
14. Bad Debt   2:59
Written-By – Chapman    
15. Things Are Seldom What They Seem To Be   3:57
Written-By – Rabson
16. Tomorrow Ain't Promised   3:18
Written-By – Abegbalola    
17. The Equalizer   4:19
Written-By – Abegbalola
    

LINE - UP

Vocals, Guitar, Percussion, Harmonica – Gaye Abegbalola
Vocals, Mandolin, Fiddle, Guitar, Bass – Andra Faye McIntosh
Vocals, Piano, Guitar – Ann Rabson

Flac Size: 385 MB