Various - A Motown Christmas (1973)

Merry Christmas out there...

review link

download link (rapidshare) or download link (mirrorcreator)

6 candles for the musictraveler

It was on Christmas of 2006 that this blog was starting. Thank you all.

Joe Strummer - His 80's soundtrack songs

10 years today without Joe Strummer. "His mentality, morality and talent remain a shining light", I was writing 5 years ago. I don't think there is anything more to add.
The offered upload contains Strummer songs from three 80's soundtracks: Permanent Record, Straight To Hell and Sid & Nancy. The soundtrack of Walker scored as a whole by Strummer will be the subject of a future post.



Tracklisting:
1. Trash City
2. Baby The Trans
3. Nefertiti Rock
4. Nothin' 'Bout Nothin'
5. Theme from Permanent Record
6. Evil Darling
7. Ambush At Mystery Rock
8. Love Kills
9. Dum Dum Club
Tracks 1-5 from Permanent Record OST, 6-7 from Straight To Hell OST and 8-9 from Sid & Nancy OST

download link (rapidshare) or download link (mirrorcreator)

His first album, Earthquake Weather was the subject of an older post, while there is also a very interesting Strummer intreview to Andy Kershaw from 1999. The Clash were the subject of some posts as well: here, here and here

Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted 2002 deluxe reissue extras

This year it was the 20th anniversary from the release of the definitive indie album and one of my all-time favourites.
This relevant upload does not offer the album itself; I guess you have it, if you don't then you should. It offers though, among others, the Watery Domestic EP, two Peel sessions and their 1992 gig at Brixton Academy. Enjoy!

Slanted And Enchanted Turns 20

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An older Pavement post can be found here

Various - Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring Forty (1992)

Yet another anniversary post... This time we celebrate the 60 years of New Musical Express. For their 60 years they issued a highly recommended special edition of the 60 most important albums of NME's lifetime. The list can be found here.
The relevant upload remembers a very interesting NME special release for their 40th birthday, 20 years ago. The concept was that a total of 40 number ones were covered by famous artists of the time. Enjoy!

Tracklisting:
A1-The Wonderstuff - Coz I Luv You
A2-Billy Bragg - When Will I See You Again?
A3-The Jesus And Mary Chain - Little Red Rooster
A4-The Mission - Atomic
A5-The Fatima Mansions - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
A6-St Etienne - Stranger In Paradise
B1-The Wedding Present - Cumberland Gap
B2-Aztec Camera with Andy Fairweather Low - Half As Nice
B3-Danni Minogue - Show You The Way To Go
B4-Welfare Heroine - Where Do You Go My Lovely?
B5-Blue Aeroplanes - Bad Moon Rising
B6-Senseless Things - Apache
B7-Teenage Fanclub - Mr Tambourine Man
C1-Carter USM - Another Brick In The Wall
C2-Blur - Maggie May
C3-Tears For Fears - Ashes To Ashes
C4-The House Of Love - Rock You Baby
C5-The Frank & Walters - I'm A Believer
C6-EMF - Shaddap You Face
C7-Suede - Brass In Pocket
D1-Tori Amos - Ring My Bell
D2-Kingmaker - Lady Madonna
D3-Marc Almond - Like A Prayer
D4-The Farm - Don't You Want Me?
D5-Ned's Atomic Dustbin - I've Never Been To Me
D6-Boy George - My Sweet Lord
E1-Jesus Jones - Voodoo Chile
E2-Bob Geldof - Sunny Afternoon
E3-Johnny Marr & Billy Duffy - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
E4-Cud - Down Down
E5-The Fall - Legeng Of Xanadu
E6-Sinead O'Connor - Secret Love
E7-World Party - World Without Love
F1-Inspiral Carpets - Tainted Love
F2-Elektric Music - Baby Come Back
F3-Ride - The Model
F4-Vic Reeves - Vienna
F5-Tin Machine - Go Now
F6-Curve - I Feel Love
F7-Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless

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Jack Kerouac - Poetry for the Beat Generation (1959)

Continuing the anniversaries posts, this one is about Jack Kerouac, who would be 90 earlier this year. Apart from that, 2012 was also marked by Walter Salles's attempt to film the unfilmable "On the Road".
The offered upload is Kerouac's debut as a recording artist, with his friend Steve Allen providing the accompaniment at the piano.

review link

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PS An older relevant post can be found here

Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street 2010 deluxe reissue extras

I couldn't miss to dedicate a post to the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones. The greatest rock b(r)and's birthday was celebrated with a greatest hits (plus a couple of new tracks) album, a new book and with a number of concerts.
As with the Ziggy Stardust post, I chose to upload some extras from their best album.

Tracklisting:
01-Pass The Wine (Sophia Loren)
02-Plundered My Soul
03-I'm Not Signifying
04-Following The River
05-Dancing In The Light
06-So Divine (Aladdin Story)
07-Loving Cup (alternate take)
08-Soul Survivor (alternate take)
09-Good Time Women
10-Title 5

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Δεν ξέχασα

David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust Ryko 1990 reissue extras

There were many important music anniversaries within 2012 and this blog had no reference to any of them. Let's try to cover some before this year ends. The first one was of course, earlier this year, the 40th anniversary of the release of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars lp, easily among the five best albums of the 70's.
The uploaded material offers the extras of the 1990 vinyl reissue.

Tracklisting:
1-John, I'm Only Dancing (mix)
2-Velvet Goldmine
3-Sweet Head
4-Ziggy Stardust (original demo)
5-Lady Stardust (original demo)

download link

OST - The Rose (Bette Midler) (1979)

I read some time ago that a biopic about Janis Joplin is expected, which will chronicle the last six months of the singer's life. Joplin will be played by Nina Arianda. It was unavoidable to recall Bette Midler's role in The Rose which was loosely based on the life of Joplin. Midler's role earned her an Oscar nomination, while the song that took its name from the movie title was a big success for her.

review link

download link (link removed due to a DMCA)

Update: DMCAs come almost instantly, lately...

Uriah Heep - Demons and Wizards (1972)

After two Artful Dodgers and one Tiny Tim, the tribute to Charles Dickens is coming to an end with the most obvious of the choices, Uriah Heep. Enjoy.

review link: here

download link: here

Talib Kweli & Hi Tek - Reflection Eternal (2000)

This post salutes once more the struggle of the working people  against the greediness of the extreme minority that represent "the markets". So, hats off to the people in Spain and Portugal who keep the flame alive but also a good opportunity to remember the first anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street movement (on Sep., 17) that slipped my attention because of the reuploading project. Talib Kweli, among the protestors of Occupy Wall Street, was inspired the brilliant "Distraction (Occupy Wall Street Freestyle)", during (and because of) that period; the lyrics can be found here.

The offered upload gives one of his previous releases which is my personal pick from his discography. Enjoy!

review link: here

download link: here

Re-activating dead links - last part

With the addition of the missing links of 2010, 2011 and 2012, the reactivation project is now complete. Please report any dead links; now with mirrorcreator it's very time-consuming to check them myself again and again.
It's been some time since the last post with fresh material so within the next few days new stuff should be expected. I salute you all.

Re-activating dead links part 3

All links of 2009 are readily available. Enjoy!

Re-activating dead links part 2

Links of 2008 are available again. Enjoy!

Re-activating dead links part 1

Let's start all over again... I've given a promise after mediafire deleted all my uploads, that I would put them back. So, for now all links from the years 2006 (that was easy...) and 2007 are active again. Enjoy!

Artful Dodger - Honor Among Thieves (1976) (@320)

The Charles Dickens tribute continues with another Artful Dodger filed under 70's hard rock, thus some light years away from the sound of the s/t UK garage duo of the previous post.

review link: here

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

Various - Rewind - The Sound of UK Garage - Mixed by the Artful Dodger (2000)

This is the second part of the Charles Dickens tribute, and after Tiny Tim, it's the Artful Dodger that satisfy the criteria of having the same name to one of Dickens' fiction characters.
The related upload finds the duo mixing a Ministry of Sound compilation which contains some of the finest samples of UK garage.

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

Various - I'm Your Fan - The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1991)

So, if Django Django's first album (the subject of the previous post) is the best album of the first six months of 2012 among the fresh groups and artists, it was Leonard Cohen, with his album "Old Ideas", that released the best one among the artists of the old generation. It wasn't an easy competition; the Boss and Dr. John also released brilliant albums during the same period. Cohen's album though was something else. Playing with the upload's title, it's for sure that with such albums I'll always be his fan.

Tracklisting:
01-The House Of Love - Who By Fire
02-Ian McCulloch - Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye
03-Pixies - I Can't Forget
04-That Petrol Emotion - Stories Of The Street
05-The Lilac Time - Bird On The Wire
06-Geoffrey Oryema - Suzanne
07-James - So Long Marianne
08-Jean-Louis Murat - Avalance IV
09-David McComb & Adam Peters - Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On
10-R.E.M. - First We Take Manhattan
11-Lloyd Cole - Chelsea Hotel
12-Robert Forster - Tower Of Song
13-Peter Astor - Take This Longing
14-Dead Famous People - True Love Leaves No Traces
15-Bill Pritchard - I'm Your Man
16-Fatima Mansions - A Singer Must Die
17-Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tower Of Song
18-John Cale - Hallelujah

info link: here

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

Beta Band - The Three E.P.'s

I'll have two consecutive posts about two great albums of the first half of 2012. The first one is the s/t album of Django Django. "It’s a dream of the psychedelic tropics, a heady explosion of colours, an album that takes what it means to be ‘in an indie band’ and gives it a good shake. Time to pay a visit" as Jamie Fullerton writes on the review for NME.
Now, the obvious link with the Beta Band is, apart from the similarities in the sound of the two groups, that John Maclean, the DJ/sampler/keyboardist of Beta Band is the brother of David Maclean, the drummer/producer of Django Django.
        
review link: here

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

Domna Samiou - Eche Gia Panagia (Farewell Virgin Mary) (@320)

Yesterday, the greek audience paid homage to Domna Samiou, the great researcher and performer of greek folk who passed away recently, through a big concert given to her memory. To make you understand, Samiou is for greek folk what Alan Lomax and Harry Smith are for the american folk or A. L. Lloyd is for the english folk. Hence, this latest upload is dedicated to her. Only greek folk in its most exceptional form should be expected to anyone who gives it a try.

Further reading:
Domna Samiou interview by Maria Paravantes from 2002
A very good text for Samiou by the blogger georgios1978

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

Tiny Tim - Live! At The Royal Albert Hall (@320)

Let's start a tribute to Charles Dickens, who was born 200 years ago. Unfortunately his images of extreme poverty and human exploitation are part of our daily lives now; our society has become very Dickensian lately.

The tribute to Dickens will consist of groups and artists that took their names from characters of his books and novels. Tiny Tim was the famous character from the Christmas Carol from which the same named novelty singer and musical archivist took his name. His excellent Live At The Royal Albert Hall offered here is the first time he would perform backed by a 44-piece orchestra and the only time it would be recorded. Musically, this is a history lesson about the brilliance of well-written pop songs as Lindsay Planer writes in allmusic.

review link: here

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

Greece vs. Germany

Here's what will happen on Friday's match. The Pythons have said it some decades ago.

Dave Van Ronk - Folksinger (1963) (@320)

Since the Cohen brothers next movie's main character is based loosely on Dave Van Ronk, lets remember one of the leading figures of the 60's folk scene of Greenwich Village.

review link: here

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DON'T PUSH ME 'CUZ I'M CLOSE TO THE EEEEDGE I'M TRY-ING NOT TO LOOSE MY HEAD UH HUH HAHAHA. IT'S LIKE A JUNGLE, SOMETIMES IT MAKES ME WONDER HOW I KEEP FROM GOIN' UNDER

It's like a jungle sometimesIt makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

Broken glass everywhere
People pissin' on the stairs, you know they just don't care
I can't take the smell, can't take the noise
Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice
Rats in the front room, roaches in the back
Junkies in the alley with a baseball bat
I tried to get away but I couldn't get far
'cuz a man with a tow truck repossessed my car

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh ha ha ha
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

Standin' on the front stoop hangin' out the window
Watchin' all the cars go by, roarin' as the breezes blow
Crazy lady, livin' in a bag
Eatin' outta garbage pails, used to be a fag had sex and
danced the tango, skip the life and dango
A Zircon princess seemed to lost her senses
Down at the peep show watchin' all the creeps
So she can tell her stories to the girls back home
She went to the city and got so so sadity
She had to get a pimp, she couldn't make it on her own

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh ha ha ha

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

My brother's doin' bad, stole my mother's TV
Says she watches too much, it's just not healthy
"All My Children" in the daytime, "Dallas" at night
Can't even see the game or the Sugar Ray fight
The bill collectors, they ring my phone
and scare my wife when I'm not home
Got a bum education, double-digit inflation
Can't take the train to the job, there's a strike at the station
Neon King Kong standin' on my back
Can't stop to turn around, broke my sacroiliac
A mid-range migraine, cancered membrane
Sometimes I think I'm goin' insane
I swear I might hijack a plane!

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

My son said, Daddy, I don't wanna go to school
'cuz the teacher's a jerk, he must think I'm a fool
And all the kids smoke reefer, I think it'd be cheaper
if I just got a job, learned to be a street sweeper
Or dance to the beat, shuffle my feet
Wear a shirt and tie and run with the creeps
'cuz it's all about money, ain't a damn thing funny
You got to have a con in this land of milk and honey
They pushed that girl in front of the train
Took her to the doctor, sewed her arm on again
Stabbed that man right in his heart
Gave him a transplant for a brand new start
I can't walk through the park 'cuz it's crazy after dark
Keep my hand on my gun 'cuz they got me on the run
I feel like a outlaw, broke my last glass jaw
Hear them say "You want some more?"
Livin' on a see-saw

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Say what?

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

A child is born with no state of mind
Blind to the ways of mankind
God is smilin' on you but he's frownin' too
Because only God knows what you'll go through
You'll grow in the ghetto livin' second-rate
And your eyes will sing a song of deep hate
The places you play and where you stay
Looks like one great big alleyway
You'll admire all the number-book takers
Thugs, pimps and pushers and the big money-makers
Drivin' big cars, spendin' twenties and tens
And you'll wanna grow up to be just like them, huh
Smugglers, scramblers, burglars, gamblers
Pickpockets, peddlers, even panhandlers
You say I'm cool, huh, I'm no fool
But then you wind up droppin' outta high school
Now you're unemployed, all non void
Walkin' round like you're Pretty Boy Floyd
Turned stick-up kid, but look what you done did
Got sent up for a eight-year bid
Now your manhood is took and you're a Maytag
Spend the next two years as a undercover fag
Bein' used and abused to serve like hell
'til one day, you was found hung dead in the cell
It was plain to see that your life was lost
You was cold and your body swung back and forth
But now your eyes sing the sad, sad song
Of how you lived so fast and died so young so...

Don't push me 'cuz I'm close to the edge
I'm trying not to lose my head
Uh huh huh huh huh

It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under
Huh, uh huh huh huh huh
It's like a jungle sometimes
It makes me wonder how I keep from goin' under

Paul McCartney - Choba B CCCP (1988) (@320)

Macca's latest release is his third cover album after Choba B CCCP and Run Devil Run; while in the latter two the material he used came mainly from the rock 'n' roll era, in his latest ("Kisses on the Bottom") he interprets songs that come mainly from the first half of the 20th century. Interesting attempt, not that interesting result.

review link: here

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

A sports post

It was last Sunday that, with some hours difference, I experienced two unbelievable comebacks in football and basketball; both came from my favourite teams! Machester City scored twice in stoppage time (!) to win the Premier League while Olympiakos were crowned European champions although 12 minutes before the end of the match they were 19 points down against the mighty CSKA, while their winning 2-point was scored at the last second of the game!

Various - Back From The Grave Vol. 1 (@320)

This blog is back from the grave. Let's celebrate it with this s/t classic garage compilation.

review link: here

info link: here

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

Disaster, disaster, disaster

My mediafire account is suspended. Of course nothing can be done now to restore the damage done, but I was expecting if someone wanted one of my uploads to be removed, to request-demand it through an email or a comment (needless to say that all such demands up to now were satisfied without any objection), and not to suspend my whole account. To be honest though, when I started this blog I had in my mind that something like that would happen.
This blog will continue, because most of all it is a labour of love. New posts will appear, while for any re-uploading requests please comment in order to put some priorities; just be patient please. I need some time to get back properly. See you all soon.

PS Does anybody know any reliable hosting site, instead of mediafire? Do not mention rapidshare, I prefer whoever is to download not to pay a subscription.

Etta James - At Last! (1961) (@320)

Another major loss, Etta James. A great voice, a great woman and, here, a monumental album. It was her first lp and it was released by Argo, a Chess subsidiary. Her influence to a bunch of artists from Janis Joplin to Diana Ross to Amy Winehouse to Adele is apparent. You can also find bits of her story at an older post.

review link: here

download link: here (link removed)

Various - Rap Classics (EP) (@320)

This post is dedicated to Sylvia Robinson who passed away some months ago. Although her singing career cannot be overlooked (mainly for Love Is Strange in the 50's and for Pillow Talk in the 70's), her contribution in the birth of rap, as the co-founder of Sugar Hill Records and as the producer of many of the songs that are considered as core material of the genre is immense. The relevant upload (a premium of a greek music magazine some ten years ago) combines three groups of the company, her two most important productions (namely Rapper's Delight and The Message) along with the Sugar Hill Records logo on the front cover.

Tracklisting:
1-Grandmaster Flash & The Furius Five - The Message
2-Treacherous Three - Gotta Rock
3-The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
4-The Furius Five Meets The Gugarhill Gang - Showdown

download link: here (link removed)

OST - The Beekeeper (1986) (@320)

This post is a tribute to the Greek movie director Theodoros Angelopoulos who died recently when he was hit by a motorcycle while shooting his new movie. Although his slow and dreamlike filming style has caused endless arguments among movie aficionados, he is considered as one of the most important European directors. He has worked with famous actors such as Marcello Mastroianni, Harvey Keitel, Willem Dafoe, Bruno Ganz and Jeanne Moreau. In 1998, he won the Palme d’Or in Cannes, with his film Eternity and a Day.
The offered upload is the soundtrack of his movie "The Beekeeper", one of the many times he collaborated with the composer Eleni Karaindrou. On the other hand, The Beekeeper is also a very fruitful collaboration between Karaindrou and Jan Garbarek which initiated a mutual respect between the two artists; as a result Karaindrou followed Garbarek and signed in ECM.

Read also: NY Times obituary

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

Various - Folkways A Vision Shared-A Tribute To Woody Guthrie And Leadbelly (1988) @320)

I'm in a storng Woody Guthrie mood lately; I find a constant inspiration in his spirit and lyrics, now that his topical songs seem to have been written about the problems of today; isn't there a better proof about his timeless value? So, as an addition to the Bragg-Wilco upload based on his lyrics, I thought that it would be a good idea to upload this "proper" tribute to him as well. Furthermore it is also a brilliant tribute to Leadbelly, as well as a good reason to remember Don DeVito who passed away recently and was the producer of this album which had won him the Grammy for the Best Traditional Folk Recording in 1989. DeVito is mostly known as the producer of Bob Dylan's Desire and Blood on the Tracks lps. As a result Dylan could not be absent from this tribute to one of his idols contributing with, to my opinion, the best song of this compilation. Finally, Dylan and Emmylou Harris are the links with the Hank Williams tribute of the previous post.

Tracklisting:
A1-Sylvie - Sweet Honey In The Rock
A2-Bob Dylan - Pretty Boy Floyd
A3-John Mellencamp - Do Re Mi
A4-Bruce Springsteen - I Ain't Got No Home
A5-U2 - Jesus Christ
A6-Little Richard With Fishbone - Rock Island Line
A7-Arlo Guthrie - East Texas Red
B1-Willie Nelson - Philadelphia Lawyer
B2-Emmylou Harris - Hobo's Lullaby
B3-Taj Mahal - The Bourgeois Blues
B4-Sweet Honey In The Rock - Gray Goose
B5-Brian Wilson - Goodnight Irene
B6-Bruce Springsteen - Vigilante Man
B7-Pete Seeger with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Doc Watson & The Little Red School House Chorus - This Land Is Your Land

review link: here

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