[18 ] A Dirty Western (1975) [repost]

Set in the western plains circa 1890, A Dirty Western opens upon a series of unique visuals and effects depicting the escape of three dangerous convicts. It's a torrid story of abduction, eroticism, and lust in the wild and woolly west. You'll be back in the saddle again as Luke savagely attacks the virginity of Maria, as the girls are forced to perform an exhibition of lesbianism. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the posse closes in on our evil trio in a spectacular orgy of lust and more lust…It's about time somebody made A Dirty Western!

Four of the 13 tracks on Island's The Best of Spooky Tooth come from 1969's Spooky Two album, while the remaining tracks represent the band's less celebrated material. Spooky Tooth's mellow, easy blues-rock sound is experienced from the first track, a slick rendition of John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road." Most of the band's peak material is included here, like "Better by You, Better by Me" and "Evil Woman." The dreamy, psychedelic-tinged "It's All About a Roundabout" is one of the album's best songs, proving the band could be adventurous at will. Much in the same manner is "As Long as the World Keeps Changing," with its hippie-like hallucinatory feel. Versions of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" and the Band's "The Weight" are covered peculiarly, but not terribly, chock full of Spooky Tooth's own laid-back formula. Missed is the greyish "Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree" from Spooky Two, which would have made a nice addition to the set. Nevertheless, this best-of does present listeners with Spooky Tooth's most worthwhile songs. The band's unconventional sound and eased style is prevalent on each of the tracks offered here.

Shigeharu Mukai Quintet - A Head Wind (1975) {Nippon Columbia Mini LP COCB-54095 rel 2014}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 284 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2014 Nippon Columbia | COCB-54095 | Mini LP
Jazz / Post-Bop / Trombone

Brilliant music from trombonist Shigeharu Mukai – an artist who was not only a hell of a soloist in the 70s, but also a great musical visionary – with an ear that makes records like this a lasting treasure! The album features three long tracks – each a small sort of painting in sound – still with a soulful swing that keeps things moving, but filled with rich ideas that come not just from Mukai's trombone, but from the assemblage of musicians that join him for the date. At a time when records like this could be overindulgent or just too darn loose in some folks' hands, Mukai manages to hold the whole thing together with this lyrical brilliance – in extremely evocative ways that never get old.