Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom 1974 (1998 Edition) + Shleep 1997

Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is an English retired musician. A founding


member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming paraplegic following an accidental fall from a window in 1973, which led him to abandon band work, explore other instruments, and begin a forty-year solo career.
                                                                          

A key player during the formative years of British jazz fusion, psychedelia and progressive rock,

Wyatt's own work became increasingly interpretative, collaborative and politicised from the mid 1970s onwards. His solo music has covered a particularly individual musical terrain ranging from covers of pop singles to shifting, amorphous song collections drawing on elements of jazz, folk and nursery rhyme. Wyatt retired from his music career in 2014, stating "there is a pride in [stopping], I don’t want [the music] to go off." He is married to English painter and songwriter Alfreda Benge.
                                                                

In 1966, the Wilde Flowers split into two bands—Caravan and the Soft Machine—and Wyatt, along with Mike Ratledge, was invited to join Soft Machine by Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen
. A

year later, after becoming increasingly unhappy about his musical ideas being rejected by the others, Wyatt left Soft Machine (basically being pushed out) and, besides participating in the fusion bigband Centipede and drumming at the JazzFest Berlin's New Violin Summit, a live concert with violinists Jean-Luc Ponty, Don "Sugarcane" Harris, Michał Urbaniak and Nipso Brantner, guitarist Terje Rypdal, keyboardist Wolfgang Dauner and bassist Neville Whitehead, formed his own band Matching Mole (a pun, "machine molle" being French for 'Soft Machine'), a largely instrumental outfit that recorded two albums.
                                                              

The injury led Wyatt to abandon the Matching Mole project, and his rock drumming (though he would continue to play drums and percussion in more of a "jazz" fashion, without the use of his feet). He

promptly embarked on a solo career, and with musician friends (including Mike Oldfield, Ivor Cutler and Henry Cow guitarist Fred Frith) released his solo album Rock Bottom on 26 July 1974. The album had been largely composed prior to Wyatt's accident, but during Wyatt's convalescence, he rethought the arrangements to adjust to his new circumstances, and many of the lyrics were completed during this period. The album was met with mostly positive reviews.
                                                                                           

ROCK BOTTOM  1974 (1998 Edition Hannibal Records)

                                                                                           


Rock Bottom, recorded with a star-studded cast of Canterbury musicians, has been deservedly acclaimed as one of the finest art rock albums.It is also considered an essential record in any

comprehensive collection of psychedelic or progressive rock. Is the second solo album by former Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt. It was released on 26 July 1974 by Virgin Records. The album was produced by Pink Floyd's drummer Nick Mason, and was recorded following a 1973 accident which left Wyatt a paraplegic. He enlisted musicians including Ivor Cutler, Hugh Hopper, Richard Sinclair, Laurie Allan, Mike Oldfield and Fred Frith in the recording.
                                                           

The record's abstract sketches of pain, loss and suffering are shot through with vivid flashes of love and renewal, inspired as it was by his relationship with Alfreda Benge, whom he married on the day of Rock Bottom's release. Benge provided the artwork for all his album covers and considerable lyrical assistance.
                                                                               

Rock Bottom contains six songs, some of which have more traditional song structures (for instance the opening "Sea Song" or "Alifib"), while others are less defined, more expressionist pieces displaying a jazz influence (as in "Alifie", or the album's centrepiece "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road"). Side

two starts with a medley of sorts ("Alifib/Alifie"), with Wyatt first singing and then reciting in a disjointed manner lyrics apparently dedicated to Benge, who replies with her own vocal at the end of "Alifie". The LP closer, "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road", is divided into two parts; the first is a melodic progressive rock song featuring prominent electric guitars, predominantly multi-tracked by Mike Oldfield, and a chant-like vocal refrain, while the second part—bearing little resemblance to the first—features only a droning harmonium, viola and guest vocalist Ivor Cutler reciting bizarre lyrics in a monotone voice.

TRACKS



01. Sea Song 6:31
Bass – Richard Sinclair
02. A Last Straw  5:46
Bass – Hugh Hopper
Drums – Laurie Allan
03. Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road   7:40
Bass – Richard Sinclair
Trumpet – Mongezi Feza
Voice – Ivor Cutler
04. Alifib   6:55
Bass – Hugh Hopper
05. Alifie   6:31
Bass – Hugh Hopper
Bass Clarinet – Gary Windo
Voice – Alfreda Benge
06. Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road  6:08
Bass – Richard Sinclair
Drums – Laurie Allan
Guitar – Mike Oldfield
Viola – Fred Frith
Voice – Ivor Cutler


Personnel

                                                                                   


Robert Wyatt – vocals, keyboards, percussion, slide guitar (2), James' drum (1, 3 and 5), Delfina's wineglass (2), Delfina's tray and a small battery (3)
Mike Oldfield – guitar (6)
Gary Windo – bass clarinet, tenor saxophone (5)
Ivor Cutler – voice (3 and 6), baritone concertina, harmonium (6)
Alfreda Benge – voice (5)
Mongezi Feza – trumpets (3)
Fred Frith – viola (6)
Hugh Hopper – bass guitar (2, 4 and 5)
Richard Sinclair – bass guitar (1, 3 and 6)
Laurie Allan – drums (2 and 6)

Production
Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) – producer

MP3 @ 320 Size: 93 MB
Flac  Size: 210 MB

                                                           


SHLEEP  1997

                                                                                       


Shleep is the seventh album by Canterbury scene and progressive rock veteran and musician Robert Wyatt, released in 1997. The album brought together a diverse range of musicians from a range of genres. After Wyatt's largely one-man recordings of the 1980s, Shleep marked a return to featuring

other artistes as on his 1970s albums. The balance of his discography would follow suit. The Wire named Shleep its record of the year in its annual critics' poll. Robert Wyatt continues to follow his singular musical path with the lovely Shleep, delivering another album of considerable quirky charm and understated beauty; a less melancholy affair than much of his recent work, the record is informed by a hazy, dreamlike quality perfectly in keeping with the elements of subconsciousness implicit in the title.
                                                                            

The album starts off with the two wittiest songs in his repertoire: "Heaps of Sheeps", a collaboration with his old compatriot Brian Eno, and "The Duchess", a mischievous tribute to his wife Alfreda Benge that erases language the way his earlier "Alifib" confounds it. Nearly every song on Shleep shines in

one way or another: It features a couple of his most elegant melodies in "Was a Friend" (co-written by his old Soft Machine bandmate Hugh Hopper) and "Free Will and Testament", as well as an extended paraphrase of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" ("Blues in Bob Minor") and a little instrumental written by Paul Weller. Its centerpiece is a three-song suite whose lyrics (by Benge) are ostensibly about birds and metaphorically about aliens and refugees: their leftist politics were more effective for being integrated into their art rather than plunked onto it, as they'd been in the *Dondestan era.

TRACKS

                                                                      


01. Heaps of Sheeps   4:56
02. The Duchess (Wyatt)    4:18
03. Maryan (Wyatt, Philip Catherine)    6:11
04. Was a Friend (Wyatt, Hugh Hopper)    6:09
05. Free Will and Testament (Wyatt, Mark Kramer)    4:13
06. September the Ninth   6:41
07. Alien   6:47
08. Out of Season   2:32
09. A Sunday in Madrid   4:41
10. Blues in Bob Minor (Wyatt)   5:46
11. The Whole Point of No Return (Paul Weller)    1:25


Personnel

                                                                                    

                                                                                     
Gary Azukx - djembe
Alfreda Benge - voice of the apparition, chorus
Philip Catherine - guitar
Brian Eno - synthesiser, synthesiser bass, vocal chorus
Jamie Johnson - guitar, chorus
Phil Manzanera - guitar
Chucho Merchan - bass guitar, double bass, bass drum, percussion
Evan Parker - soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
Charles Rees - chorus
Chikako Sato - violin
Paul Weller - guitars, harmony vocals
Annie Whitehead - trombone
Robert Wyatt - voice, keyboards, bass guitar, polish fiddle, trumpet, percussion, chorus
                                                                                    

MP3 @ 320 Size: 125 MB
Flac  Size: 320 MB

                                                                                 


Soft Machine on Urban Aspirines HERE
Matching Mole On Urban Aspirines HERE
Robert Wyatt on Urban Aspirines HERE

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Alpha Blondy: Masada 1992

Seydou Koné (French pronunciation: ​[sɛdu kɔne]; born January 1, 1953 in Dimbokro, N'Zi Region),


better known by his stage name Alpha Blondy, is an Ivorian reggae singer and international recording artist. Many of his songs are politically and socially motivated, and are mainly sung in his native language of Dioula, French and in English, though he occasionally uses other languages, for example, Arabic or Hebrew.
                                                                                                                                

Alpha Blondy Bio Hailing from the Cote d'Ivoire, Alpha Blondy is among the world's most popular reggae artists. With his 12-piece band Solar System, Blondy offers a reggae beat with a distinctive

African cast. Calling himself an African Rasta, Blondy creates Jah-centered anthems promoting morality, love, peace, and social consciousness. With a range that moves from sensitivity to rage over injustice, much of Blondy's music empathizes with the impoverished and those on society's fringe. Blondy is also a staunch supporter of African unity, and to this end, he sings to Moslem audiences in Hebrew and sings in Arabic to Israelis. Some of his best-known songs include "Cocody Rock," "Jerusalem," and "Apartheid Is Nazism."
                                                                                             

He grew up listening to African folkloric music such as yagba and gumbe, his primary musical influences were such Western bands as Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, the Beatles, Creedence

Clearwater Revival, and soul artists like Otis Redding. Later Bob Marley's music tremendously affected Blondy. Though he wanted to become a musician, his family expected him to become a respectable English teacher. He studied English at Hunter College in New York, and later in the Columbia University American Language Program. Outside of class, he would play music in Central Park and in Harlem clubs where occasionally house bands would let him sing his Bob Marley covers in French, English, and various West African languages.
                                                                                             

Blondy got his big break from friend Fulgence Kass, an employee of Ivory Coast Television who helped him land a spot on the Premiere Chance talent show. Singing three of his own tunes plus

Burning Spear's "Christopher Columbus," the young artist was a hit with the audience. Blondy then hooked up with producer G. Benson who recorded his eight-song debut album Jah Love in a single day. The most popular song, "Brigadier Sabari," was an account of Blondy's run-in with an Abidjan police street raid in which he was nearly beaten to death. It was the first time a West African artist had dared to mention random police brutality in public. After releasing the album, he and the newly formed Solar System band signed to EMI. They recorded his second album, Cocody Rock, in Paris in 1984.
                                                                        

He used his music to address political and spiritual issues, with some of his most popular songs dealing

with political topics of the times, like 1985's "Apartheid Is Nazism" and 1998's "Yitzhak Rabin," a tribute to the assassinated Israeli Prime Minister. Sometimes called the Bob Marley of Africa, he worked with the Wailers on the 1983 single "Cocody Rock" as well as the 1986 album Jerusalem.Later he returned to Tuff Gong to record his third album, Jerusalem(1986). By the release of his 1987 album Revolution, Blondy had established himself as an international artist.
                                                                               

His 1992 album, Masada, was released in over 50 countries around the world and went double gold in France. Yitzhak Rabin followed in 1998; Paris Percy appeared in spring 2001. Although it was recorded in 1999, the album Elohim appeared in 2002 in Europe and three years later in America. The career-

spanning Akwaba: The Very Best of Alpha Blondy was released in 2005, then Jah Victory followed in 2007. The 2011 release Vision was issued by the Wagram label, while his 2013 effort, Mystic Power, launched his relationship with the VP imprint. The veteran reggae label issued his 2016 release, Positive Energy, which featured guest appearances from Tarrus Riley and Ijahman Levi. Now in his sixties, Blondy continued performing and releasing new music, with the new studio album Human Race arriving in 2018.
                                                                   

Masada is a studio album by Ivory Coast reggae artist Alpha Blondy, with The Solar System. It was released in 1992 on World Pacific. The album was very popular in France, where it went double gold. The Washington Post wrote that the album "offers an invariably melodic mix of romantic Afro-pop ('Rendezvous'), spiritual things ('God Is One') and political anthems ('Peace in Liberia'), all fashionably arranged to suit Blondy's yearning tenor."

TRACKS

                                                                                     



01. Masada     5:00
02. Multipartisme (Médiocratie)     4:15
03. Rendez-Vous     3:30
04. God Is One     4:10
05. Yéyé     4:27
06. Desert Storm     4:23
07. Houphouet Yako     3:38
08. Peace In Liberia     3:43
09. Papa Bakoye     4:31
10. Les Chiens     3:31
11. Sciences Sans Conscience     4:08
12. Fulgence Kassy     3:48
13. Ca Me Fait Si Mal     3:45
14. Mystic Night Move     4:00

                                                                                     


Personnel


Arranged By – Alpha Blondy, Boncana Maiga
Backing Vocals – Colau Van Montagu, Corine Van Montagu, Marylou Seba
Bass Guitar – Abou Bbass Ae
Electronic Drums, Keyboards – Romie (Ibis) Lawrence
Engineer (Assistant Prise De Son) – Philippe Gassert
Engineer [Prise De Son] – Dennis-Bovel, Laurent Patte
Keyboards [Akai 1100] – Michel Lorents
Lead Vocals – Alpha Blondy
Mixed By – Dennis-Bovel
Mixed By (Assistant De Mixage) – Laurent Patte
Percussion – Clayton Joseph, Max Facon
Percussion (Tama) – Bou N'Diaye (tracks: 2)
Percussion (Zarb) – Pierre Rigopoulos (tracks: 6)
Photography By – Pierre Terrasson
Rhythm Guitar – Afriloue Eugène, Christian Poloni
Soloist, Guitar – Christian Poloni
Soloist, Saxophone – Alan Hoist
Strings – Kouznetzof Alain, Gaunet Jean, Michel Cron
Tenor Saxophone – Hatot Alain
Trombone – Bolognesi Jacques
Trumpet – Philippe Slominski

PEACE IN LIBERIA  LYRICS

                                                                                            


We want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
We want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
Cause Babylone shall not rise again
Babylone shall not rise again
Babylone shall not stand again
Babylone shall not stand again

Cause everyday they talking about
The Liberian civil war
And everywhere over JAH land
Muddy rivers of blood oh Lord!
No matter who wins, Liberia is crying
No matter who looses, Liberia still crying
No matter who's right, they've got to stop the fight
No matter matter who's wrong, the devil still stronger...

So we want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
We want peace in Liberia
Peace in Monrovia
Cause Babylone shall not rise again
Babylone shall not rise again
Babylone shall not stand again
Babylone shall not stand again

We calling on Jesus Christ to save I and I
We calling Jesus Christ to save I and I
We calling on Allah to save I and I
Calling Adonaí to save I and I
Cry, cry Liberia...
Cry, cry Liberia...
Cry, cry Liberia...
Cry, cry Liberia...

MP3 @ 320 Size: 130 MB
Flac  Size: 383 MB


Alpha Blondy and The Wailers : Jerusalem 1986  FLAC

Friday, March 26, 2021

Chocolate Watch Band: The Inner Mystique 1968 + One Step Beyond 1969

The Chocolate Watchband was formed in the summer of 1965 in Los Altos, California by Ned Torney


and Mark Loomis, who had previously played guitar together in a local band known as The Chaparrals in the previous year. The two were joined by Rick Young (bass guitar), Pete Curry (drums), Jo Kemling (organ), and Danny Phay (lead vocals) to form the first version of the Chocolate Watchband, a name that was originally meant to be taken as a joke.
                                                                                                         

The band went through several lineup changes during its existence. Combining psychedelic and garage rock components, their sound was marked by David Aguilar's lead vocals, songwriting, as well as proto-punk musical arrangements. The band's rebellious musical posture made them one of the harder-edged groups of the period with many critics labeling them as America's answer to the Rolling Stones.
                                                                                                     

The Chocolate Watchband was signed to Tower Records in 1966 and released their first single, "Sweet Young Thing", in 1967. Later in the year, the band released their debut album, No Way Out. Though the

album did not chart nationally, the band had a huge following in San Jose and the San Francisco Bay Area. In 1968, their second album, The Inner Mystique, was released and included the band's most popular song, a cover version of "I'm Not Like Everybody Else". By 1969, with Mark Loomis dropping out in the middle of the recording sessions, the band released a final album, One Step Beyond, however it did not include David Aguilar on vocals and was not as highly regarded or indicative of their past work. The Chocolate Watchband officially broke up in 1970 with no intent of ever reuniting again.
                                                                                     

After their dissolution in 1970, a revival of interest in psychedelic and garage rock in the late 1980s and

1990s brought the group to public attention, and their original vinyl releases became collectors' items, selling among private sellers for over USD$100. Rhino Records issued a best-of release of the band in 1983, while Sundazed and other labels re-issued the original albums on compact discs, including bonus tracks. After leaving the band, its members each embarked on other non-musical pursuits; Aguilar had worked as an astronomy professor after the band's dissolution.
                                                                                  

In June 2013, the Chocolate Watchband made it back to a recording studio in their hometown San Jose,

to begin a new album. From 2015 to the present (2018), the band's lineup is Tim Abbott on lead guitar and vocals; Gary Andrijasevich on drums; David Aguilar on vocals, keyboards, and harmonica; Alec Palao on bass and backing vocals; and Derek See on guitar and vocals. The resulting album (This Is My Voice) was released in 2019 to critical acclaim; the lead off single 'Secret Rendezvous' was featured as 'Coolest Song In The World' on Little Steven's Underground Garage program in February 2019.
                                                                                                              

The first song recorded was a tribute to Sky Saxon who had recently died. Former member Mark Loomis died on September 26, 2014, in Hawaii.

THE INNER MYSTIQUE  1968 REMASTERED  1994

                                                                                   


The Inner Mystique is the second album by the American garage rock band, The Chocolate Watchband (shown as Chocolate Watch Band), and was released in 1968 by Tower Records. This album is the most well-known released material from the band. However, the original first side is not played by the actual group members.
                                                                       

Don Bennett sings on the first side with studio musicians producer Ed Cobb assembled. Watchband vocalist David Aguilar and the rest of the band return to record the second side. This side is composed of all cover songs, most notably "I'm Not Like Everybody Else", originally by The Kinks. The two tracks, originally sung by David Aguilar, "Medication" and "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go" featured Don Bennett instead. Ed Cobb was responsible for the change. Cobb had it so Aguilar's vocals were removed and Bennett's were dubbed in its place for the album's release.

TRACKS

                                                                                     


01. Voyage of the Trieste (Ed Cobb) – 3:41
02. In the Past (Wayne Proctor) – 3:08
03. Inner Mystique (Cobb) – 5:37
04. I'm Not Like Everybody Else (Ray Davies) – 3:42
05. Medication (Ben Di Tosti, Minette Alton) – 2:08
06. Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go (Hank Ballard) – 2:18
07. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bob Dylan) – 3:14
08. I Ain't No Miracle Worker (Annette Tucker, Nancie Mantz) – 2:53

BONUS TRACKS

09. She Weaves A Tender Trap (E. Cobb) 3:29
10. Misty Lane (M. Siegel)  3:16
11. Baby Blue (Original Single version) (Bob Dylan) 3:12
12. Sweet Young Thing  (E. Cobb)  2:55

Sundazed Records issued newly remastered CD & vinyl LP editions

Personnel

                                                                                 


David Aguilar - lead vocals, harmonica, percussion backing vocals
Sean Tolby - lead guitar
Mark Loomis - rhythm guitar, harpsichord
Bill Flores - bass guitar
Gary Andrijasevich - drums


MP3 @ 320 Size: 98 MB
Flac  Size: 256 MB    


ONE STEP BEYOND  1969  REMASTERED  1994

                                                                                                 


[AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder  
The third and final of the original studio albums by the Chocolate Watchband, One Step Beyond is a bit

misleading and contradictory. On the one hand, it's as close as any performing group called the Chocolate Watchband ever got to making a finished album of their own, which is reflected in the fact that all but one song here was an original by the bandmembers; but on the other hand, this is a different Watchband lineup, assembled by Sean Tolby and Bill Flores, including guitarist Mark Loomis and drummer Gary Andrijasevich (both of whom had left in 1967 to join the Tingle Guild), and original, Foothill College-era Chocolate Watchband member Danny Phay (who'd also been in the Tingle Guild).
                                              

Missing is David Aguilar, the band's one-time lead singer and most visible songwriter up to that time --

and the result is an album that has almost none of the influence of the Rolling Stones, and, instead, shows the greatest folk-rock influence in their history. The overall sound is brittle but melodic, reminiscent in some ways of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Charlatans, Moby Grape, and the Jefferson Airplane. Danny Phay isn't nearly as charismatic a singer as Aguilar, but he's not bad, either, and there are lots of interesting shared vocals.

TRACKS


01. Uncle Morris  (Written-By – Gary Andrijasevich, Mark Loomis)  3:10
02. How Ya Been  (Written-By – Danny Phay, Gary Andrijasevich)  3:10
03. Devil's Motorcycle  (Written-By – Gary Andrijasevich, Sean Tolby)  3:00
04. I Don't Need No Doctor  (Written-By – Ashford & Simpson)  4:01
05. Flowers  (Written-By – Danny Phay, Gary Andrijasevich)  2:46
06. Fireface  (Written-By – Sean Tolby)  2:49
07. And She's Lonely  (Written-By – Mark Loomis, Sean Tolby)  4:16

BONUS TRACKS
                                                                                

                                                                                     
08. Don't Need Your Lovin'  (David Aguilar)  02:36         
09. Sitting There Standing  (David Aguilar / Gary Andrijasevich / Bill Flores / Mark Loomis / Sean Tolby)  02:20         
10. Blues' Theme  (Davie Allan / Mike Curb)  02:21         
11. Loose Lip Sync Ship  (David Aguilar / Mark Loomis)  03:01