Cheap Trick: The Complete Epic Albums: Album 3) Heaven Tonight [1998 Expanded Edition] (1978)

Here is number three, the great Heaven Tonight album. It's the last of the Cheap Trick albums for today. Tomorrow the next will follow.

Wie immer...viiiieel Spass
                                          Frank  Flac 1  Du brauchst beide Links!   Flac 2

Cheap Trick: The Complete Epic Albums: Album 2) In Color [1998 Expanded Edition] (1977) Flac

Here is the second album from 1977, In Color. It's good to hear that old stuff from time to time again. These guys had a really great band.

 Have fun
                Cheers Frank

Flac 1  You need both links!  Link 2

The Complete Epic Albums: Album 1) Cheap Trick - Cheap Trick [1998 Expanded Edition] (1977)

Here are the complete Epic albums remastered and in expanded edition. I will post the albums one after another in the next days. There are 14 albums all in all. Hope you enjoy.

Bio Cheap Trick: (by allmusic.com)

Combining a love for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the necessary links between '60s pop, heavy metal, and punk. Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, the band's early albums were filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of the Beatles, the sonic assault of the Who, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of the Move. Their sound provided a blueprint for both power pop and arena rock; it also had a surprisingly long-lived effect on both alternative and heavy metal bands of the '80s and '90s, who often relied on the same combination of loud riffs and catchy melodies.

Cheap Trick's roots lie in Fuse, a late-'60s band formed by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson in Rockford, Illinois. The group released an album on Epic in 1969; after it failed to gain any attention, the band relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of Europe. The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972 and returned to Illinois in 1973. Not long after their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson changed their band's name once more -- this time to Cheap Trick -- and added drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy "Xeno" Hogan to the lineup. Hogan was fired the following year, making room for ex-folksinger Robin Zander to join the group. Between 1975 and the band's first album in 1977, Cheap Trick toured constantly, playing over 200 concerts a year while occasionally opening for the likes of the Kinks, Kiss, Santana, AC/DC, and Queen. During this time, the band built up a solid catalog of original songs that would eventually comprise their first three albums; they also perfected their kinetic live show.

Cheap Trick signed with Epic in 1976 and released their self-titled debut early the following year. The record sold well in America, yet it failed to chart. However, the group became a massive success in Japan, and the album went gold upon release. Later that year, the band released their second album, In Color. It backed away from the harder-rocking side of Cheap Trick, featuring slicker production and quieter arrangements that spotlighted the band's melodic skills instead. Due to their constant touring, the record made it into the U.S. charts, peaking at number 73.

It became another gold-seller in Japan, however, where the musicians had become virtual superstars. Their Japanese concerts began selling out within two hours, and they packed the sizable Budokan Arena.

Cheap Trick's concerts at Budokan were recorded for possible release, although the live album didn't appear until the band's third album, 1978's Heaven Tonight, was first released. That third album captured both the loud, raucous energy of Cheap Trick's debut and the hook-laden songcraft of In Color, leading to their first Top 100 single, "Surrender," which peaked at number 62. However, the live performances on At Budokan (1979) captured the band's energetic, infectious live show, resulting in their commercial breakthrough in America. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, peaking at number four and eventually selling over three million copies. Meanwhile, a live version of "I Want You to Want Me" became their first Top Ten hit. Later that year, the group released their fourth studio album, Dream Police, which followed the same stylistic approach as Heaven Tonight. It also followed At Budokan into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies and launching the Top 40 hit singles "Voices" and "Dream Police." In the summer of 1980, the group released an EP of tracks recorded between 1976-1979 called Found All the Parts.

Following the recording of the George Martin-produced All Shook Up, Petersson left the group in the summer of 1980 to form a group with his wife, Dagmar.

He was replaced by Jon Brant. Released toward the end of 1980, All Shook Up performed respectably, peaking at number 24 and going gold, yet the single "Stop This Game" failed to crack the Top 40. One on One, the group's seventh album and the first recorded with Brant, appeared in 1982. Although it peaked at number 39, the record was more successful than All Shook Up, eventually going platinum. Nevertheless, the group was entering a downhill commercial slide, despite the fact that its music was becoming increasingly polished. Next Position Please, released in 1983, failed to launch a hit single and spent only 11 weeks on the charts. Standing on the Edge (1985) and The Doctor (1986) suffered similar fates, as the group was slowly losing its creative spark.

Petersson rejoined the band in 1988 and the group began working on a new record with the help of several professional songwriters. The resulting record, Lap of Luxury, was a platinum Top 20 hit, featuring the number one power ballad "The Flame" and a Top Ten version of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel." Busted, released in 1990, wasn't as successful as Lap of Luxury, peaking at number 48 and effectively putting an end to the group's commercial comeback.

Cheap Trick soldiered into the new decade by signing with Warner Bros. in 1994 and releasing Woke Up with a Monster, which peaked at number 123 and spent two weeks on the albums chart. That same year, Epic released a sequel to At Budokan, aptly titled Budokan II. Compiled from the same shows as At Budokan, the record served as an an effective reminder of why the group had become so popular in the late '70s.

In 1995, Cheap Trick asked to leave Warner's roster after the label's chief executives, Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin, departed. The band then decided to go back to the basics, and several alt rock superstars who had been influenced by Cheap Trick gave the band opportunities to restore its reputation. The Smashing Pumpkins had the band open their tour in 1995, and the group played several dates on the 1996 Lollapalooza Tour. That same year, the box set Sex, America, Cheap Trick appeared to positive reviews, and the band signed with the fledgling indie label Red Ant-Alliance before setting to work on a new album. Early in 1997, the group released a Steve Albini-produced single on Sub Pop, which was followed by the eponymous Cheap Trick, their acclaimed debut for Red Ant-Alliance, in the spring. Unfortunately, Red Ant-Alliance filed for bankruptcy seven weeks after the album's release, sadly putting a sudden halt on the group's building momentum.

On April 30, 1998, the group launched a four-night residence in Chicago, devoting each show to reprising one of their first four albums in its entirety. Those shows later yielded a 1999 live LP, Music for Hangovers, which the musicians issued on their own Cheap Trick Unlimited label. A band-authorized hits collection followed in 2000. By the dawn of the new millennium, Cheap Trick were still without a label, but had retained their loyal following by continually touring the world. Appropriately, another live set saw the light of day in 2001. Entitled Silver, the double-disc album (and companion DVD) documented the band's star-studded, career-spanning 25th anniversary show on August 28, 1999. The band also recorded another studio album, released in 2003 as Special One. It was followed in 2006 by Rockford, named in tribute to the band's hometown, and then The Latest in 2009. Cheap Trick also maintained a heavy touring ethic, canvassing America that summer alongside Def Leppard and releasing their tribute to the Beatles with Sgt. Pepper Live. In late 2015, Cheap Trick signed with powerhouse country label Big Machine Records, and their first album for their new sponsors, Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello, was released in April 2016. It was the first Cheap Trick release since the departure of drummer Bun E. Carlos from the band. Daxx Nielsen, Rick's son, became the group's new percussionist in 2010. 

Flac1         You need both links!  Flac 2

Once again, for the third time. The Standells Link 2

 link2
 Sorry for that. I don't know what happened with this f....... link. Please try this link. Should it not work again i make a complete new post. If it work i put the link in the post for making it complete. Please try and comment.
grrrmmbll
                Frank


I just tried the second link and to me it works. I hope it is fixed now.

Excellent Psychedelic Pop of the sixties : Giant Crab - A Giant Crab Come Forth 1968 (2005 Estrella Rockera) Flac

A Giant Crab Comes Forth is the debut album of the band The Giant Crab. It was released in 1968 by MCA's Universal City Records (UNI). Giant Crab evolved from Ernie and the Emperors, a popular local band out of Santa Barbara, California.Giant Crab was formed around three Orosco brothers, Ernie, Raymond, and Ruben, all originally from the group Ernie & The Emporers. They added the stylings of brothers Dennis and Kenny Fricia to complete their line-up for their debut album. It also included a title track narrative by radio DJ, Johnny Fairchild.
The album leads off with an unusual tone, a title track narrated in the style of a news report by Johnny Fairchild. Fairchild was a local DJ from the Santa Barbara, California radio station, Radio K.I.S.T. He is given credit for the band's first radio air play. Fairchild's narration in the title track encompasses the titles of all the tracks in the album to follow. The words from the title track are written on the back cover of the original LP, in the style of a track listing. They are as follows:

"News has it that a giant crab has come forth out of the sea of music and is catching on and spreading across the land. Through struggles and hardships, ups and downs, trials and tribulations, a tiny amoeba, fighting for existence has grown into a giant crab. It started with a little kiss, of enthusiasm and the directions of the giant crab at this point are unknown. But they could pop up at any minute in you home. So watch your step for this musical giant is out to intensify your soul. The giant crab's only hope is that you will enjoy it enough to become involved in a hot line conversation that will spread :across the land. If you or I enjoy being the boy or girl it is our duty to inform Lydia Purple and the rest of the world...Flash...It has just been reported that :the giant crab is about to invade Groovy Towne inland, coming thru the fields. The chance you take is yours alone. Can you get out of the magic grasp of the giant crab? Believe it or not, The answer is no. For once you have felt the golden touch of the giant crab you will be shouting hi ho silver lining along with thousands of other helpless people caught up in their grasp. Why am I so proud? Listen and you will :see...Listen...Listen...Listen...Listen..."

The album consists of 11 original tracks, written primarily by Ernie Orosco, and four cover songs. Their take on Joey Levine's "I Enjoy Being The Boy" is the band's version of "I Enjoy Being A Boy", a song popularized by The Banana Splits on their TV show. Their version of "Lydia Purple", a cover of The Collectors (band) (from their self-titled debut, The Collectors (album)) is one of three versions of the song that were released by different bands that year, and it is arguably Giant Crab's most complicated arrangement on the album. The band chose "Hi Ho Silver Lining" as a single, likely because a version of the song was already a hit in the U.K. for The Jeff Beck Group (wikipedia)

This is a great psychedelic pop album and it's great from the beginning to the end. This is the 17 track release by Estrella Rockera from 2005. The last song E.S.P. is the ''not so strong one'' (no weak songs here) and is the bonus track on the estrella release. You will enjoy this band...
Viel Spass wünscht
                               Frank   Flac1    You need both links!  Flac2

p.s.: No original artwork sorry...:-(

Jericho (with Danny McDonald) - Retrospective 1995-1998 (2003 Popboomerang Rec)

It seems that these days you just can’t get rid of Danny McDonald… thankfully!
His catchy hooks are all over the scene, be it the power-pop soundtrack to an endless summer of his band P76 or his own solo stuff, the glammy garage sounds of The Stoneage Hearts and now Jericho, that actually takes us back to his earliest days when it all began.
Of course, had this been the first one that I heard of his works, I’d be much more thrilled, now that I know that he can do even better, I can only enjoy the development of the pop-master-in-the-making.
Still, there’s a coupla stand-outs that will make me get back to this collection every once in a while like the usual “big starry-eyed” power-chords of Coming Down, Talking To Myself or Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (well, they did name one of their EPs Radio City did they?!), the infectious guitar riff of Everybody’s Fool.

Or the jangly “flight” of the teenage-byrds in Don’t Know What Comes Over Me and it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise learning that he was saving Washed Out for the rainy days, so that he can “survive” by offering it to the Gallaghers, for their “come back single”.
Anyway, this is another “pop boomerang” that will keep coming back no matter how hard you try to throw it away.
[Released by Pop Boomerang 2003]

I am a big fan of Power Pop made in Australia. This is Danny McDonald with Jericho from 1995 till 1998. McDonald is one of the great pop musicians of Australia. He had played and worked with all the big names in pop and rock business in Australia. And this Retrospective is real great. Catchy Power Pop as hell and highly recommended. What more can i say... enjoy it.

Cheers
           Frank    mp3@320

The Standells ‎– The Hot Ones / Try It ('67, '67) Big Beat 1993 Flac

One good thing about '60s garage punk music is that when it is done right, it's so fast that you plunge right through it -- in that sense, it's a lot like rockabilly music; and with brevity like that, if a band is any good, there's only so much that even the occasional clinker can mar the listening experience. The two Standells albums represented here total out at barely an hour of listening time for 20 tracks, and nothing lingers, and as it happens, the Standells were generally really good at what they did.

In this instance, on The Hot Ones they're applying their energetic and crunchy brand of music-making to songs that can take it (even if, in the case of, say, "Wild Thing," they hardly need it). The music off The Hot Ones holds up a bit better than that from Try It, though their soul-based efforts on the latter don't seem that bad today, especially surrounded as they are by some pretty good psychedelic punk material -- it might not have been what the group was about, or even what they were terribly good at, but you've probably heard lots worse from bands out of this period, and they sound like they're really trying. The good sound on this CD helps, of course, and the presence of "Riot on Sunset Strip" and the title track carry the rest, which -- except for "St. James Infirmary," which should have been abandoned -- doesn't really need that much help.

Here is another double disc set from the Standells, heroes of mine in psychedelic garage.
Hope you will have fun , too
hip, hip, hurrah
                        Frank  flac 1      You need both links!  flac 2

Pete Dello - Into your Ears... plus 1971 (1989 See For Miles Records)

The '60s spawned so many psychedelic bands that the reissue has become its own genre. Audiophiles flock to conventions worldwide to pay exorbitant amounts of money for obscurities that your average music fan would recoil at. This passion has unearthed horrible artifacts, intriguing oddities, and the occasional gem. After tasting success in 1968 with the single "I Can't Let Maggie Go," Honeybus founder Pete Dello left the band after only one album to pursue a more settled lifestyle. His distaste for the rigors of touring left him with a surplus of un-recorded material that would eventually steer him back into the studio to record his first and only solo record. Into Your Ears features 14 songs, each under three-and-a-half minutes long, that prosper through a winning combination of goofy psychedelia and Beatlesque beauty. The sweet melodies and gentle harmonies of "It's What You've Got" and "Taking The Heart Out Of Love" are timeless, devoid of irony, and begging for placement in a Wes Anderson film. "Do I Still Figure In Your Life," which has since been covered by the likes of Joe Cocker, conveys the same irresistible form of melancholy that permeates a great Randy Newman or Harry Nilsson recording, and more than makes up for the wince-inducing "Uptight Basil" and "Harry The Earwig (the latter inspired the horrific Roger Dean cover art). Dello's voice is sweet and clear, with only a tinge of the British folk throatiness that ruled the era. The songs, while never complex, benefit from strategically placed string arrangements that rarely disappoint, and crisp production as exemplified on the set closer "Arise Sir Henry." Also included are the Magic Valley versions of "Taking The Heart Out Of Love" and "Uptight Basil," which differ only in sound quality (poorer) from the album renditions, and provide collector's with the definitive edition of this highly sought after (almost) masterpiece.(allmusic.com)).

Beautiful record!
                          Frank   Flac 1 You need both links Flac 2

At Request: The Wondermints - Wonderful World of the Wondermints 1996 mp3

Technically, this second album from the Wondermints isn't their wonderful world at all, since it consists entirely of cover songs. Figuratively, however, this is exactly the world that gave birth to and nourished the band, the great pop records of the 1960s and 1970s from which they learned their chops, and a legacy the band had not only absorbed but also taken into the future and elevated to new heights on their debut album. At the same time, although an enjoyable exercise, it is not really the artistic statement that the band had envisioned recording for their second album. It was recorded on the insistence of their Japanese label Toy's Factory. Regardless of its genesis, though, it is undoubtedly a stellar and revealing effort, a valuable window into the building blocks that created the band. The Wondermints were no strangers to covers prior to this album. The final ("white") of four fabled early demo tapes that circulated around Los Angeles in the first couple years of their existence included covers of Pilot, ELO, Badfinger, and Elvis Costello, among others. They had also contributed tracks to the acclaimed Hollies tribute album, Sing Hollies in Reverse, and a Henry Mancini tribute, as well. With Wonderful World they turned a different and more intriguing trick by pulling together a gaggle of mostly more obscure or forgotten tracks from the era and shaping them into a singular, impeccable statement. The tunes cut a wide swath from Paul Revere & the Raiders to Bacharach/David to British mods Smoke to '70s teenybopper idols the Hudson Brothers and their own "Tracy Hide," but a couple of the revisions stand out. Goffin & King's "Porpoise Song" originally appeared in the Monkees' psychedelic flick Head, but it is transformed by the Wondermints, more suited to their airy psychedelia than the tongue-in-cheeky pre-Fab Four. Their version of Glen Campbell's "Guess I'm Dumb," a Brian Wilson composition recorded to inaugurate Campbell's solo career, bolsters production and background harmonies and features a gorgeously pensive, honey-coated vocal from Darian Sahanaja. Even better, they transform "Love in the City" from a Turtles song to one that Arthur Lee and Love might have gladly sneaked onto Da Capo by quickening the pace slightly and bathing it with a kaleidoscopic edge -- a mix of punky attitude, insistent bass pulse, and a vaguely paranoid vibe with elegant strings and graceful horn charts. It is the best thing on the album, but, in truth, they better virtually every song, with the exceptions of the indomitable Five Stairsteps classic "Ooh Child," Pink Floyd's brilliant "Arnold Layne," and ABBA's "Knowing Me, Knowing You," which is really apples-and-oranges anyway. That isn't to depreciate any of the original artists, but instead says volumes about the brilliance of the Wondermints, not only their interpretive powers but also the resonance of their artistry. In a way, although it is an oblique step sideways rather than forward from their original work, Wonderful World goes further towards defining what is special about the band than their previous album had. What could have been a loose run-through or soundcheck for the "real" work turns into an album that is not only wholly enjoyable, but also stands on its own quite admirably. The music is not a pastiche of past influences; it is a refining of and advancement on them.                                                                                                       Enjoy it!

                            Frank  mp3@320

            

Links for The Standells now working !

Sorry for the inconvenience! Don't know what happened. I set them up again and now it seems to work. Sorry once again!
Kind regards
                    Frank

The Standells - Riots On Sunset Strip/ Rarities The Standells 1967 (Big Beat Records 1993)

Sixties soundtrack albums have always held a special charm, especially those released on the Tower label, from Psych-Out to Wild in the Streets to this classic, Riot on Sunset Strip. The Standells open with the title song, and it would be a refreshing change of pace to hear this clever little gem instead of "Dirty Water" for the nine millionth time on oldies and classic hits stations. While the Sidewalk Sounds come off like some bubblegum surf group, especially with the Gary Lewis sound-alike "Make the Music Pretty," "Sunset Sally" from the Mugwumps gives the album some serious credibility. Debra Travis adds a folky/earthy stamp with her one track, "Old Country," but it's the Mugwumps and songs by the Chocolate Watch Band and Standells which are the collectors items.

The Standells make "Get Away From Here" sound vocally very Strawberry Alarm Clock, while Drew delivers an above-average '60s filler tune, "Like My Baby." It would fit nicely any time on some college radio retro show. Dave Aguilar's Chocolate Watch Band gives the album real grit and attitude; "Don't Need Your Lovin'" is fierce, and "Sitting There Standing" even meaner. C.W.B. took this opportunity seriously and it shows. The guitar fights the harp in this final tune, while the throbbing bass, drums, and vocal are pure garage rock magic.

The novelty of the title track, "Riot on Sunset Strip," is not to be lost because of Chocolate Watch Band's over the top performance. Cool picture of the Standells on the back makes this something to put on the wall. Mike Curb's Sidewalk Productions, clearly on a mission here as the movie was hyped as "the most shocking film of our generation!," delivers vintage sounds of the day. He co-wrote the Drew title and composed the Sidewalk Sounds' "The Sunset Theme" (the word "Sunset" appearing in three song titles!). When comparing this to an early-'70s soundtrack like Zacahariah or the inconsistent '80s music put to the film Soul Man, the Riot on Sunset Strip album delivers more bang for the buck. Definitely something you want in your collection.(allmusic)

Big Beat added 1993 11 rare and previously unissued tracks to the soundtrack. This is a piece of finest garage stuff.                                        Link2
Have fun and turn up the volume   Link1
Cheers                                       
           Frank      You need both links!  

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Gandalf - Gandalf 2 1969 - 1971 (2007 Sundazed)

Though Gandalf's sole album was barely noticed upon its initial release in the late '60s, it eventually attracted enough of a reputation among collectors to warrant a CD reissue. Impressed and gratified by the surge of interest in the record decades later, Gandalf's Peter Sando dug up enough acetates, demos, and live tapes from 1968 to 1971 to fill up this disc of largely previously unreleased material. While the songs, performances, and sound are for the most part decent, the stylistic range is so wide that it might surprise those expecting something very similar to the Baroque-psychedelic pop on the Gandalf LP that came out in the late '60s.

One thing it certainly does offer is a greater concentration of original compositions by singer-guitarist Sando, who wrote just a couple songs on the Gandalf album, but penned most of the material on this collection. Much of it's nicely haunting, wistful period folk-rock-pop with an only very slightly bittersweet tinge. The 13 tracks are so diverse, however, that they almost sound like a compilation of different artists. There's the mystical-classical aura, complete with flute, of "Days Are Only Here and Gone" and "No Earth Can Be Won" (two of the cuts that most strongly recall the Gandalf record in flavor); rootsy, almost pastoral singer/songwriter folk that occasionally verges on early-'70s mellowness; full-band gutsy rock with a late-'60s underground feel; a creative rock arrangement of the forlorn "Golden Earrings" (from a late-'40s Marlene Dietrich movie) that is, despite the demo-like recording quality, a highlight; and a six-minute live cover of Chuck Berry's "Downbound Train" with raunchy fidelity (though the sound quality on the rest of the CD is appreciably better).

There are also three tunes by late-'60s hit songwriters Alan Gordon and Garry Bonner (most famous for "Happy Together") that Sando did with the group the Barracuda, and which have a forceful pop/rock sound missing in the other tracks. Individually, most of the disc's cuts are pleasant and impressive, though not brilliant. Together, though, they add up to less than the sum of the parts, and seem indicative of a talented singer/songwriter who had yet to establish a firm direction, though passionate fans of the Gandalf album will appreciate the chance to hear more material from Gandalf's figurehead.

Very good songs here but in a lot tracks different to the first Gandalf album. All in all a very enjoyable album. Try it!
Have fun
               Frank   Link