The Hollies At Abbey Road 1973 - 1989 (Remastered 1998) Flac

If this 20-song, 78-minute compilation is less compelling than its two predecessors, it's only because it represents a period in the Hollies' history in which the group lost its decade-long grip on the pop charts, even as they retained their fan base. The producers have interspersed the key hits and B-sides with what they regard as important album tracks and throw in a handful of previously unissued songs for a good cross-section of what is probably, for many of us, the least familiar period in the group's history of recording. The first track, "The Day That Curly Billy Shot Down Crazy Sam McGee," was an attempt to emulate the sound of their earlier hit "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)," which succeeded only part way, reaching the Top 30 in England. "Transatlantic Westbound Jet," a rare Bobby Elliott/Terry Sylvester collaboration, in this version featuring Allan Clarke on lead vocals, and the bouncy (and previously unissued) rocker "Iceberg" lead us to the group's last major international hit, "The Air That I Breathe."

The album and B-side tracks that follow are enjoyable enough, the Calypso-flavored "Layin' to the Music" being the best of the cuts leading into "4th of July Asbury Park (Sandy)," which is followed by a delightful rumba-style rock number, "Come Down to the Shore," which sees its first release on this CD, although they never succeeded remotely the way "The Air That I Breathe" did. Another superb (and previously lost) outtake, "Samuel," makes its debut here as well, featuring some newly-recorded Tony Hicks guitar parts. An unusually large portion of the rest of the disc is devoted to tracks off of the Five Three One-Double Seven O Four album from 1979, but these pale next to the radiant harmonies and overall exuberance of the group's 1981 reunion with co-founder Graham Nash on "Take My Love and Run," which deserved a lot more chart action than it ever saw. As late as the mid-1980s, as this compilation shows, the group was creating brilliant pop/rock, and it's worth getting to "Too Many Hearts Get Broken," "Find Me a Family," and "No Rules." The sound is state of the art, and the annotation is informative and entertaining.

The first Hollies - At Abbey Road 1963 - 1966 you will also find here on the blog.
Enjoy
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Classic Album: Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos (2009 Rhino HandMade Records, Deluxe Edition) Flac

Unreleased for over 15 years, I Am the Cosmos is nevertheless an enduring testament to the brilliance of Chris Bell; lyrically poignant and melodically stunning, this lone solo album is proof positive of his underappreciated pop mastery. While cuts like "Get Away," "I Got Kinda Lost," and "Fight at the Table" recall the glowing, energetic power pop of Bell's earlier work, the majority of the songs on I Am the Cosmos are more reflective and deeply personal; the title track is a harrowingly schizophrenic tale of romantic despair, while other cuts like the lurching "Better Save Yourself" and the lovely "Look Up" are infused with a spiritual power largely missing from his Big Star material.

The album's highlight, "You and Your Sister" -- which features backing vocals from none other than Bell's Big Star mate Alex Chilton -- is simply one of the great unknown love songs in the pop canon, a luminous and fragile ballad almost otherworldly in its beauty.(allm,usic.com)

At first: I will post tomorrow the mp3 version, too. About the album is nothing more to say. Too much people had everything told about it and Chris Bell. You better listen to it! It's with full Rhino artwork. They have done a very good job together with the people (Chris' brother, the people and friends from Chris by Ardent) who was involved in the realisation of this expanded double disc set.
If you like it you can buy it here.

Have fun
               SB1                                                    mp3@320                                           Disc 1 Flac 
You need both mp3 links, too!                         mp3@320 2                                         Disc 2 Flac

The Flac links will expire 2017-04-20          

Cheap Trick - The Complete Epic Albums - Album 10) Standing On The Edge (1985) Flac

Standing on the Edge's only highlight comes from the silvery-sounding "Tonight It's You," which peaked just outside the Top 40 at number 44 in the fall of 1985. Like 1983's Next Position Please, Standing on the Edge finds the band without any pizzazz or rock & roll exuberance. The tracks are dull and colorless, with only the single sporting any signs of enthusiasm from any of the band's members. Sleepers like "This Time Around," "How About You," and the ridiculous "Wild Wild Women" are subpar considering what Cheap Trick's capabilities are. Both Zander and Nielsen lack the cohesion that they usually have, and the writing comes off as weak and disregarded. Although Todd Rundgren tried his hardest to get 1983's Next Position Please off the ground, Cheap Trick opted for producer Jack Douglas this time around, whose efforts fared quite the same. It wasn't until 1988's Lap of Luxury that Cheap Trick was finally back on track, scoring their first number one hit with the dreamy-sounding ballad "The Flame."(allmusic.com)

Today only two albums of the Trick.  The last three albums follow tomorrow.
Cheers
           SB1  Flac1  You need both links!   Flac2

Cheap Trick - The Complete Epic Albums - Album 9) Next Position Please 1983 [2006 Authorized Version] Flac

Cheap Trick attempted to ride the new wave on 1982’s One on One, but wound up with a wipe-out, so they recovered by hiring Todd Rundgren, one of the few ‘70s album-rockers who proved that he knew how to negotiate the treacherous waters of the early ‘80s, for 1983’s Next Position Please. Rundgren wielded a heavy hand during his production, pushing Cheap Trick toward making a record that could easily be mistaken for a Utopia record -- so much so, the Todd composition, “Heaven’s Falling,” slips onto the second side without calling attention to itself. The bright surfaces with the guitars and keyboards melding so tightly with the vocal harmonies they’re inseparable, produce a sound that is uncannily reminiscent of Oops! Wrong Planet, but Rundgren also helps keep an eye on quality control, letting Robin Zander’s terrific “I Can’t Take It” open the album, coaxing the band to cover the Motors’ “Dancing the Night Away,” and editing Rick Nielsen’s best set of songs since Heaven Tonight. Next Position Please is still very much a new wave-era Cheap Trick album -- this is shiny surfaces, not kicks to the gut -- but it’s the best of the lot, and one of their best-ever albums.

Disc 10, Next Position Please from 1983 is a good album with a lot of good songs.
Have fun
              SB1  Flac1  You need both links!  Flac2

Psychedelic Pop from 1969: Apple - An Apple A Day 1969 (1994 Repertoire Records) Flac

 Psychedelic Pop from Apple. An Apple a Day was released in 1969. This is the Repertoire release from 1994 with four bonus tracks.

Enjoy
         SB1             Flac1   You need both tracks!   Flac2

Game Theory - Lolita Nation: Flac links added!

Hello, i added at request today for the Lolita Nation album (that you can find here on the blog)  by Game Theory the Flac links (for only two days!). If you interested in this fantastic masterpiece in Flac format, hurry up. You find the links in the Lolita nation 320 post.

Cheers
           Frank