Teddy Pendergrass - A compilation (flac & 320kbps mp3)

Teddy Pendergrass, a beloved figure of the Philly sound died at the age of 59. The upload (offered for the first time in this blog in the lossless format flac and in the best possible mp3 quality (320 kbps)) offers an enjoyable (for me at least) mix of songs with lavish instrumentation and the forceful, baritone, erotic but never explicit, equally gruff and silky voice of Pendergrass.

Tracklisting:
01-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - I Miss You
02-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - If You Don't Know Me By Now
03-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - The Love I Lost
04-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Where Are All My Friends
05-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Bad Luck
06-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Hope That We Can Be Together Soon
07-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Wake Up Everybody
08-Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes - Don't Leave Me This Way
09-Teddy Pendergrass - I Don't Love You Anymore
10-Teddy Pendergrass - Close The Door
11-Teddy Pendergrass - Love T.K.O

download link
mp3 320 kbps: here
flac: part1 here and part2 here

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Dancer with Bruised Knees (1977) (@256)

Today, we pay tribute to Kate McGarrigle who left us recently. Along with her sister Anna, they gave us a series of stunning melodies where their voices seemed to be coming from a chorus of angels.
Kate was the mother of Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright from her marriage to Loudon Wainwright III.

Read also the New York Times obituary

review link: here

download link: here (mirrorcreator) or here (rapidshare)

For those interested the sisters' first release has been one of the early posts of this blog and can be found here. Loudon's release of the same year was the subject of the consequent post and can be found here.

Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain (1974) (@256)

This upload is dedicated to Willie Mitchell, who passed away recently. His contribution to the evolvement of soul music, through a bunch of releases for Hi Records is enormous. By establishing a house band of extremely talented musicians, he managed to create a unique sound which is easily recognisable in his productions for Al Green, Ann Peebles and Syl Johnson, among others. "It’s the laziness of the rhythm. You hear those old lazy horns half a beat behind the music, and you think they’re gonna miss it, and all of a sudden, just so lazy, they come in and start to sway with it. It’s like kind of shucking you, putting you on." That's the way he beautifully defined it in Peter Guralnick’s book "Sweet Soul Music: Rhythm and Blues and the Southern Dream of Freedom".

Read also the New York Times obituary

review link: here

download link: here (mirrorcreator) or here (rapidshare)

Steeleye Span - Hark! The Village Wait (1970) (@256)

Next posts will pay tribute to some of the artists that passed away recently. In this post we remember Tim Hart, one of the most prominent figures of the 60's British folk revival. His works with Maddy Prior and with Steeleye Span will, without any doubt, keep his memory alive. RIP

The uploaded album is the group's first (and best, to my opinion) release.

Check also:
Tim Hart's natural photography site
Guardian's obituary
The tribute of the fellow blogger Standin at the Crossroads

review link: here

download link: here (mirrorcreator) and here (rapidshare)

Various - Songs We Taught The White Stripes (@256)

Without further delay, I present you a compilation of all tracks the White Stripes have covered in their official releases. The reasons of this upload are the release of their documentary "Under Great White Northern Lights" and that I couldn't miss to dedicate a post to the most important musician of the previous decade. Thanks for the music, Jack.

Tracklisting:
01-Marlene Dietrich - Look Me Over Closely (from Let's Shake Hands single - 3/98)
02-Robert Johnson - Stop Breakin' Down Blues (from their s/t album 6/99 and from Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground single 8/02)
03-Blind Willie Johnson - John The Relevator (the track "Cannon" from their s/t album and from the dvd Under Blackpool Lights (in "Take a Whiff on Me") is in fact John the Revelator
04-Bob Dylan - One More Cup Of Coffee (from their s/t album)
05-Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five - St. James Infirmary (from their s/t album)
06-Dolly Parton - Jolene (in Hello Operator single - 05/00, in their live dvd (12/04), and in the s/t single - 11/04)
07-Son House - Death Letter (in De Stijl lp - 6/00, and in the live dvd)
08-Blind Willie McTell - Southern Can Blues (in De Stijl)
09-Blind Willie McTell - Lord, Send Me An Angel (from their s/t single - 10/00)
10-Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Party of Special Things to Do (from the s/t Sub Pop singles club - 12/00)
11-Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - China Pig (from Party of Special Things to Do single)
12-Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band - Ashtray Heart (from Party of Special Things to Do single)
13-Loretta Lynn - Rated 'X' (in Hotel Yorba single 11/01)
14-Bob Dylan - Love Sick (in Fell In Love With A Girl single 4/02)
15-Tommy Hunt - I Just Don't Know To Do With Myself (in Fell In Love With A Girl single, in Elephant lp (4/03) and in the s/t single - 9/03)
16-Brendan Benson - Good To Me (in Seven Nation Army single 4/03)
17-Steeleye Span - Black Jack Davy (in Seven Nation Army single)
18-Soledad Brothers - St. Ides Of March (in The Hardest Button To Button single 12/03)
19-Bob Dylan - Outlaw Blues (from the dvd Under Blackpool Lights 12/04)
20-Screaming Lord Sutch - Jack The Ripper (in Under Blackpool Lights)
21-Leadbelly - Boll Weevil (in Under Blackpool Lights)
22-Leadbelly - Take A Whiff On Me (in Under Blackpool Lights)
23-SonHouse - Grinnin' In Your Face (in Under Blackpool Lights)
24-Ernest Cotton - Goin' Back To Memphis (in Under Blackpool Lights)
25-Greenhornes - Shelter Of Your Arms (in the Denial Twist single - 3/05)
26-Tegan and Sara - Walking With A Ghost (from the s/t EP - 12/05)
27-Patti Page - Conquest (from Icky Thump lp - 6/07 and s/t single - 12/07)
28-Hank Williams - Tennessee Border (bonus track in Icky Thump lp)

image taken from putrithewicked

download link: here (rapidshare) or here (mirrorcreator)

Yes - Yessongs (1973) (@256)

Now, normally this should had been posted yesterday, before the Oscars, but it was a very busy weekend, so what the heck... The reason of this upload is the obvious inspiration that James Cameron has drawn from the landscapes of Roger Dean. Dean is an artist that dominated the album cover design of a significant part of the progressive scene of the 70's. His extraterrestrial, eerie drawings fit perfectly with the classical inspired, complex compositions of the genre; Yes in particular found in his art the best accompaniment to their music. Their triple live album uploaded here offers three (!) gatefolds all of which could be blueprints of Avatar.












I also found some blue-skinned children in the back cover of Yesterdays!











The same topic is explored beautifully here, by putting side by side the floating islands of Dean (as presented in the front cover of the album An Evening of Yes Music Plus) and of Avatar's as well as the arched rock formations which Dean presented first in the cover art of Yes' Keys to Ascension. A good idea is also expressed here; like the Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon-soundtrack-of-the-Wizard-of-Oz, it would be interesting to try to sync up Yessongs with Avatar. Finally, the meaning of all drawings of Yessongs, and their connection with past and future works of Dean is explained here.


Roger Dean's Floating Islands

review link: here

download link: here (part1) and here (part2)

Bob Friedman Orchestra - Anatomy Of A Murder - Music from the Duke Ellington score (1959) (@256)

In this post, we'll deal with the brilliant film Precious and its fantastic movie teaser poster. The film definitely deserves its awards and nominations; the six Academy Award Nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress (Sidibe), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique), Best Director (Daniels), Best Adapted Screenplay (Fletcher), and Best Film Editing (Klotz) are the most famous of them. The film's poster art is also a good opportunity to remember Saul Bass, one of the most prominent graphic designers in Hollywood.


















His tremendous work has influenced many; the similarity between his poster of Anatomy of a Murder and the poster of Precious is the last evidence of his influence. Between the two films, there is also Spike Lee's Clockers which is also based on the same concept.

















Furthermore, Bass has created some of the most memorable movie title sequences; his work for Vertigo is characteristic of the body of his work and is simply astonishing.


The uploaded album here, although it definitely worth a listen, is one of the most misleading albums in history! When I bought it I believed I bought the Duke Ellington original score, since the name of Bob Friedman who (along with his Orchestra) actually offers us an adaptation of the original score, is not printed anywhere on the front or back cover! Someone has to notice the circular stickers in the middle of the record to read the name of his group.

download link: here (link removed due to a relevant request)