Bad 24bit

Whether he gets (enough) credit or not from jazz heads, guitarist George Benson certainly created the template for smooth jazz , with 1975's Good King Bad a perfect example of the style in its infant stages. Benson combines his classy, Wes Montgomery-inspired guitar style with funky material ("Hold On I'm Coming"), yearning balladry ("Cast Your Fate To the Wind"), plush arrangements, and, on one song, buttery vocals for a classic slice of easygoing jazz.

Like the sublimely seedy roadside joints of America’s rural South — where you can shoot pool, buy fishing worms and have your lawnmower repaired all in the same room — Fetchin Bones are dedicated to the sort of unexpected variety that somehow seems to work. On their debut album, the North Carolina quintet peddles an exciting mix of revved-up rock, country twang, folk, blues and swing, driving it all home with unrestrained energy and unpolished charm. The crazed quaver in singer Hope Nicholls’ voice provides the heart of the Bones’ sound; three songs without her lead vocals are the album’s weakest cuts. Producer Don Dixon admirably translates the group’s wild-eyed persona to vinyl, but this is a band that must be seen live for a full grasp of their eclectic frenzy. Delightfully different graduates of the R.E.M.-inspired school of Southern pop. (The CD and cassette add three tracks.)

Paranoid was not only Black Sabbath’s most popular record (it was a number one smash in the U.K., and “Paranoid” and “Iron Man” both scraped the U.S. charts despite virtually nonexistent radio play), it also stands as one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. Paranoid refined Black Sabbath’s signature sound — crushingly loud, minor-key dirges loosely based on heavy blues-rock — and applied it to a newly consistent set of songs with utterly memorable riffs, most of which now rank as all-time metal classics. Where the extended, multi-sectioned songs on the debut sometimes felt like aimless jams, their counterparts on Paranoid have been given focus and direction, lending an epic drama to now-standards like “War Pigs” and “Iron Man” (which sports one of the most immediately identifiable riffs in metal history).

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music
This was the first GE album I came in contact with back then. And it was quite a shock, I must say.
Some legendary tracks are featured here, and this album will be the showcase for their great live performances. From basic pop songs in their early days, the band has now evolved into a great hard- rock style tinted with special prog flavours (keys, flute, sax).

Chronicle, Vol. 1 contains every one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s original 19 hit singles — including “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” “Down on the Corner,” “Travelin’ Band,” “Up Around the Band,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” — plus “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” which became a hit at the same time this double-record compilation was released.

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music
One thing is quite certain: ou can love this album to death or loathe it with every fiber of your being, but you can’t really ignore it. From the gorgeusly disturbing gatefold sleeve, displaying a masterpiece of Gothic artwork by Swiss cult artist R.H. Giger (of “Alien” fame), down to the unabashed self-indulgence of its musical content, “Brain Salad Surgery” is a compendium of everything progressive rock is all about, the good, the bad and the ugly. It is loud, metallic, and harsh, undeniably bombastic, though it can also be melodic and soothing – a true rollercoaster ride of an album, swinging from the beautiful, English choirboy vocals of “Jerusalem” (with wonderful lyrics courtesy of one Mr William Blake) to the all-out progressive orgy that is “Karn Evil 9”.

The British label Pickwick/Hallmark, is characterized by making re-editions. This time I scored another point by purchasing this double LP’s live by Elton John many, many years ago, with two concerts recorded in the 70s decade (1970 – 1974). I say a success because the records are intact, just like their original versions and the best in a single double album! What more can I ask for?

In 1980 Vivencia released a new conceptual work that included musicians such as Oscar Cardozo Ocampo, Machi Rufino and Diego Rapoport (Spinetta Jade), among others.

In retrospect, it is not hard to find hints of a coming change in the final album Cat Stevens made before a near-death experience and a religious conversion.