JOE PEACE - FINDING PEACE OF MIND 1971

Light good-natured hippie folkrock LP comparable in sound to Brazda Brothers though less consistent. Obvious Neil Young influence typical for the bag, while crude guitar leads add some needed tension. Opens strongly but the last third of the LP is weak with strained vocals and a flower-embellished VW bus mood that becomes one-note. Warm and friendly in a 1960s vibe, but apart from 2-3 excellent tracks mostly for completists.

Tracks :

01 - Reflections I See - 4.08
02 - It´s Been So Long - 5.34
03 - Finding Peace Of Mind - 2.41
04 - Welcome Aboard - 4.05
05 - Sad Surprise - 3.13
06 - Hello My Lady Friend - 2.49
07 - High Time We Made Love - 4.23
08 - Stop Turn Around - 5.57
09 - Love Me Like A Stranger - 4.06
10 - Goodbye - 2.30

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Artwork Included

ASFALTO - AL OTRO LADO 1978

Asfalto was a very influenciating band with and a well reputated one, even outside Spain, mainly during the late 70's and early 80's. The band emerged in 1972, from the ashes of Tickets (were José Luis Jiménez was playing). Their first self-titled CD, edited by Chapa Records (Zafiro) contained tracks like "Rocinante" or "Capitán Trueno", songs that belong to the personal history of lots of rock fans. That record was a kind of rock occasionaly pop and other times closer to symphonic rock, like sticking around, looking an own sound. But, probably, "Capitán Trueno" is the most popular song of the band.

Another touchstone of the in the Asfalto carreer was their concert in London, in the famous Marquee Club (now closed) that had seen lost of the most famosu band in rock history, That gig was so important (even more in that time, taking into account the musical and social spanish scene) that their second LP was plenty of pictures from it!

In spite of the initial succes, a split is produced and half of the band left (José Luis Jiménez y Lene Laina), and formed Topo. Then, Jorge García Banegas and José Ramón Pérez came into the band. The first record with the new line-up was out in 1979 named "Al Otro Lado". Although is fairly irregular, it can be considered an album of progressive rock and contains some of the most powerful symphonic rock done in that time, like "No Está Solo" and "Al Otro Lado", although also tracks just looking the audience like "Mujer de Plástico".

After releasing other albums like "Ahora" and "Déjalo Así", troubles with Zafiro led then to organise their own label in 83, "Snif", releasing "Más que una intención" (83), with a new singer, Miguel Oñate. Their sound is getting away from prog and getting closeer to power rock and pop, maybe according to the market demands in the change of decade. They continued editing material and playing successfully until 85. In that year there's another singer change for Ricardo Benítez ("Richie", ex-Express). They edited "Corredor de fondo", with a lower level.

Public starts decaying and they play as Rockorquesta, they coming back like Asfalto, with a repertory from Asfalto and Topo. Barrios dies in 1992 and, after a tribute, Asfalto decided to back to the road again with Cajide again on drums. Now they are still working. (José Manuel Iñesta)

Tracks :

1. No estas solo (5:11)
2. Mujer de plastico (4:13)
3. Expectativa (6:27)
4. Donde estais? (3:27)
5. El viejo (6:02)
6. Nadie ha gritado (3:44)
7. Al otro lado (10:42)

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Artwork Included

EUPHORIA - LOST IN TRANCE 1970

Hailed in the Fuzz, Acid Flowers Book worth seeking out This Power triofrom Wisconsin 1973, showed amazing songwriting talent + musical ability Classic midwest American heavy psych with somewhat biker vibe Raging agressive Fuzz-guitar leads with great echoey-reverb effects ,true sledgehammer bass ,crunching drums ,very melodic tunefull vocals A Must for all 70 s heavy psych enthusiasts. This is a heavy rock album with lots of fine guitar work, particularly on the title track, Lost In Trance, the most psychedelic cut, and Enchanted. All the songs on the album were written by lead guitarist D. Walloch.









Tracks :

01 - Brotherhood
02 - Just for a Moment
03 - Lost in Trance
04 - Oriental News
05 - Enchanted
06 - Middle Asian Lament

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Artwork Included

EMMYLOU HARRIS - PIECES OF THE SKY 1975

Emmylou Harris' Pieces of the Sky is one of the more welcome entries in her catalog. Before the auspicious and provocative Elite Hotel, issued later in 1975, Pieces of the Sky was the kind of record that became Harris' signature style for most of her time at Warner Brothers, and is one of the most auspicious debut recordings in the history of country music. Accompanied by the Hot Band featuring James Burton, Rodney Crowell, Brian Ahern, Rick Cunha, Glen D. Hardin, Linda Ronstadt, Amos Garrett, Mike Auldridge, and a slew of others, Harris offers a palette of songs that range from traditional country music, including her understated yet deeply moving read of Billy Sherrill's "Too Far Gone," Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," Merle Haggard's "(Tonight) The Bottle Let Me Down," the Louvin Brothers' "If I Could Only Win Your Love," and the Bryants' "Sleepless Nights" (a staple of Harris when she played with the late Gram Parsons). From the then-current crop of country songwriters, she opened the album with Crowell's "Bluebird Wine" and Shel Silverstein's "Queen of the Silver Dollar." There's also another Lennon-McCartney selection included, with "For No One." But the most moving track on the set is "Boulder to Birmingham," a Harris original and her tribute to the memory of Parsons. In her voice one can hear the human heart break, shatter, and then gather itself in order to move on, forever looking back. When she sings, "Well you really got me this time/And the hardest part is knowing I'll survive/I've come to listen for the sound of the trucks as they move down out on 95/And pretending it's the ocean, comin' down to wash me clean/Baby, do you know what I mean?," the entire world opens in the grain of her voice and bathes the listener in grief, longing, and resolve. [On the 2004 remastered and expanded version of the album Rhino added a pair of Dallas Frazier tracks from the same sessions: there's the hard-singing honky tonk of "Hank and Lefty" and the standard "California Cottonfields." While nothing needed be added to this masterpiece, these cuts following Silverstein's (original) closer do not at all detract from it.] ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks :

Bluebird Wine

Too Far Gone

If I Could Only Win Your Love

Boulder to Birmingham

Before Believing

Bottle Let Me Down

Sleepless Nights

Coat of Many Colors

For No One

Queen of the Silver Dollar

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Artwork Included

BEEFEATERS 1967 / MEET YOU THERE 1969

Denmark, whilst not well known for its rock/blues groups, actually did have a number of really good bands. Alongside Midnight Sun, Gasolin', Ache, Culpeper's Orchid, Burnin' Red Ivanhoe and others, Beefeaters were one of their country's best outfits. They first started out as an early sixties beat outfit, later changing to a more bluesy/soul/psych style in 1966. Their initial line-up included Lars Kofoed and Jimmy Sardorff on guitars, Niels Mortensen on drums, Soren Seirup on bass and vocals, and Kurt Parking on on rhythm guitar. They were quite successful and were popular in the clubs, but they disbanded in 1964. Seirup and Sardoff reformed the band in 1965 with new members Erling Madsen on drums and Morten Kjaerumgard on organ Keith Volkersen on bass and Max Nhuthzhi on drums, and they released their debut album in 1966 and toured with outfits like The Kinks and the Pretty Things to support it. In November 1968, they supported bluesman Alexis Korner on a Danish tour and he contributed guitar on two tracks on their new album (our featured album). Thorup later left the band, teaming up with Korner in England to form New Church, C.C.S. and Snape. The Beefeater's albums are quite rare but now that they've been released on CD, it gives listeners outside of their home country the opportunity of finally hearing the magic of this great blues/rock outfit.

Tracks :

1. It Ain't Necessarily So

2. Crossroads

3. My Babe

4. I Want You

5. Hey Little Girl

6. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

7. Let Me Down Easy

8. Shakin' Fingerpop

9. Night Flight

10. Summer Scene

11. I'll Meet You There

12. You Changed My Way Of Living

13. Night Train

14. Now I Know

15. Serenade To A Cuckoo

16. Stormy Monday

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Artwork Included

CROSS & ROSS - BORED CIVILIANS 1972

Keith Cross first band was called Bulldog Breed and one year later he joined T2. Keith was hailed as the new Eric Clapton when T2 released their album It'll All Work Out in Boomland. He left T2 after a few months and 2 years later Keith Cross joined a partnership with Peter Ross. They separated after their album Bored Civilians was released. Fantastic record.

Tracks :

The Last Ocean Rider

Bored Civilians

Peace In The End

Story To A friend Side

Loving You Takes So Long

Pastels

The Dead Salute

Bo Radley

Fly Home"

Can you believe it

Blind willie johnson

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Artwork Included

MICHAELANGELO - ONE VOICE MANY 1971

Michaelangelo's sole album is in most respects average, if pleasant, folk-rock-psychedelia with male-female vocal harmonies/lead trade-offs that sounds as if it might have been recorded a couple of years or so prior to its 1971 release date. There is, however, one factor that makes it distinguishable from many similar LPs of the era: the Autoharp of Angel Autoharp, as she's billed on the record, who also wrote the group's material. There's no other rock album of the period, quite possibly, that uses the Autoharp so prominently, almost as though it is, in effect, a lead guitar (or an important rhythm guitar) within the rock instrumentation. Angel also sings some of the material, which largely has a bittersweet and haunting (if basically upbeat) flavor, though male vocals also take the lead on some tracks. The vocal numbers are OK (though not special), but the real standouts are the instrumentals. In those, the harpsichord really steps forward as a featured instrument, and rock, folk, and classical melodies and dynamics are combined in a fashion that avoids the bombast and pretension afflicting many British and European attempts at a rock-classical fusion within the progressive rock format. An engagingly light if somewhat slight oddity, it's odd that a major-label album such as this had (as of 35 years after its release) escaped CD reissue, a situation that probably won't endure forever. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks :

West

Come to Me

This Bird

Son (We've Kept the Room Just the Way You Left It)

Medley

It's Crying Outside

300 Watt Music Box

Okay

Half a Top

One Voice Many

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Artwork Included