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Earth, Wind & Fire - Raise! (1981)

Posted By: Designol
Earth, Wind & Fire - Raise! (1981)

Earth, Wind & Fire - Raise! (1981)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 259 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 87 Mb | Scans ~ 58 Mb
Funk, Soul, Quiet Storm, Disco | Label: CBS/Sony | # 35DP 15 | Time: 00:38:21

Raise! is the eleventh studio album by Earth, Wind & Fire, Released on November 14, 1981 by CBS Records, it was produced by the band's leader Maurice White for Kalimba Productions. Raise! was the bestselling R&B album of 1982. The album featured the #1 R&B and # 3 Pop hit "Let's Groove". The single "Wanna Be With You" won EWF a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group. Raise! also marked the return to the band of guitarist Roland Bautista, last heard from on 1972's Last Days and Time. Ken Tucker of Rolling Stone describes Raise! as a reflection of "street-gritty black pop" and that on "Let's Groove" and the fast, cutting "Lady Sun", the horn section screams like a car running a red light". Music critic Robert Christgau says that on the album, he felt "a show of strength was due".

Dionne Warwicke (Warwick) - Then Came You (1975) Japanese Reissue 2008

Posted By: Designol
Dionne Warwicke (Warwick) - Then Came You (1975) Japanese Reissue 2008

Dionne Warwicke (Warwick) - Then Came You (1975) Japanese Reissue 2008
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 248 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 90 Mb | Scans ~ 91 Mb
R&B, Vocal Pop, Soul | Label: Warner Bros. | # WPCR-75430 | Time: 00:38:17

After being a premier vocalist in the '60s, Warwick seemed to have hit a stylistic wall by the early '70s. By the time she signed with Warner Bros. in 1970, Warwick attempted many styles and producers. Then Came You, released in 1975, has her teaming with both Jerry Ragovoy and, for one track, Thom Bell. Jerry Ragovoy was a successful producer who had Garnet Mimms and Howard Tate among his credits. For this effort, Ragovoy assembled a strong New York session band, including John Tropea, Leon Pendarvis, and Bob Babbitt. The first track, "Take It From Me," has Warwick getting a more R&B styled production rather than MOR. That was perfect since her voice had matured, attaining an effortless warmth and ease. Here she wasn't so much an interpreter of "great material," her voice and charm were the primary draw. Ragovoy's track "Move Me No Mountain" has a Barry White-styled backing, and Warwick got a chance to be more sensual.

Ry Cooder - Boomer's Story (1972) [MFSL Remastered 2017]

Posted By: Designol
Ry Cooder - Boomer's Story (1972) [MFSL Remastered 2017]

Ry Cooder - Boomer's Story (1972) [MFSL Remastered 2017]
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 208 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 105 Mb | Scans included
Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | # UDSACD 2154 | Time: 00:39:09
Roots Rock, Slide Guitar Blues, Country-Rock

Ry Cooder's development as a peerless musician capable of grasping virtually any style began with his time spent with Taj Mahal and Captain Beefheart, but for all intents and purposes reaches epic proportions on Boomer's Story. With two ambitious albeit uneven studio albums behind him, the California native plunged into roles that still define him today – that of sonic archeologist and cultural historian, shaping his 1972 Reprise effort with enlightened selections carved into the bedrock of America's folk, blues, and soul landscapes. Inspired, virtuosic, and poignant, Boomer's Story endures as a ravishing portrait of inspired translation and inventive craftsmanship that after years of neglect finally boasts sonics deserving of the performances.

Delbert McClinton - 'The Jealous Kind' (1980) + 'Plain' From The Heart' (1981) 2 LP in 1 CD, Remastered Reissue 2001

Posted By: Designol
Delbert McClinton - 'The Jealous Kind' (1980) + 'Plain' From The Heart' (1981)  2 LP in 1 CD, Remastered Reissue 2001

Delbert McClinton - 'The Jealous Kind' (1980) + 'Plain' From The Heart' (1981)
2 LP in 1 CD, Remastered Reissue 2001
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 490 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 176 Mb | Scans ~ 59 Mb | 01:16:36
Blues-Rock, Roots Rock, Country-Rock, Modern Electric Blues, R&B | Label: Raven | # RVCD-114

This two-fer from the Australian Raven label is a part of a series of Delbert McClinton reissues. All of them come with new liner notes, session photos, and bonus tracks. These two albums, from 1980 and 1981, respectively, represent a renaissance for McClinton of sorts. While he never had a fallow period creatively, The Jealous Kind allowed him a renewed commercial viability even if it was short-lived. Both records were issued by the Muscle Shoals Sound imprint of Capitol Records and were produced by Barry Beckett with the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and horns. While the first disc is centered around diversity in its song choices – by everyone from Larry Henley to Bobby Charles to Van Morrison to Al Green to Jerry Williams – and took radical approaches to reinterpreting the material through soul, blues, funk, rock, and country, the latter chose hard-driving Southern-fried funk and R&B and a relatively close-to-the-vest approach in terms of material – most notably covers of "In the Midnight Hour" and Naomi Neville's "Lipstick Traces (On a Cigarette)".

Van Morrison - The Healing Game (1997) Expanded Remastered 2008

Posted By: Designol
Van Morrison - The Healing Game (1997) Expanded Remastered 2008

Van Morrison - The Healing Game (1997) Expanded Remastered 2008
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 339 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 133 Mb | Scans ~ 84 Mb
Label: Exile Productions Ltd., Polydor | # 5308757 | Time: 00:58:24
Singer/Songwriter, Pop/Rock, Folk-Rock, Blues, Blue-Eyed Soul

Van Morrison never stopped recording during the 1990s, but for a little while it seemed as if he was disconnected from his muse. It wasn't so much his series of jazz cover albums – he'd return to this vein often in subsequent decades – but his songwriting that showed signs bitterness, particularly on 1995's Days Like This, where he seemed dismissive of the very notion of being a songwriter. In that light, it's hard not to see 1997's The Healing Game as a rejuvenation. Indeed, the album's very title suggests that Morrison is in the process of mending fences and reconnecting with a sense of joy, a process that began during his deep dive into Mose Allison and other bluesy jazz artists in the mid-'90s. Morrison retains that sense of swing on The Healing Game – he also retains keyboardist Georgie Fame, who would become a fixture on Morrison's albums over the next two decades – and it invigorates a set of songs that aren't necessarily all that different from what he's been writing as of late; he's still specializing in ballads, blues, and folk-rock colored by R&B.

New York Community Choir - New York Community Choir (1977) Expanded Remastered 2013

Posted By: Designol
New York Community Choir - New York Community Choir (1977) Expanded Remastered 2013

New York Community Choir - New York Community Choir (1977) Expanded Remastered 2013
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 501 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 175 Mb | Scans included | 01:12:38
R&B, Gospel, Soul | Label: Funky Town Grooves/RCA/Sony | # FTG 330/88765481662

Gospel, arguably, has often been the "R" in R&B. A long list of soul icons, from Aretha Franklin to Gladys Knight to Otis Redding, The New York Community Choir is one of the most famous groups of gospel. They recorded many albums since 1970. First time it has ever been released on CD.The release will be expanded with 3 bonus tracks, 1 of which is a very rare non album cut Remastered from the ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES at Battery Studio s New York by Sony's Sean Brennan.

Koko Taylor - Albums Collection 1969-1990 (7CD)

Posted By: Designol
Koko Taylor - Albums Collection 1969-1990 (7CD)

Koko Taylor - Albums Collection 1969-1990 (7CD)
EAC | FLAC | Image/Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 1.84 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 777 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Chicago Blues, Electric Blues, Rhythm & Blues

Accurately dubbed "the Queen of Chicago blues" (and sometimes just the blues in general), Koko Taylor helped keep the tradition of big-voiced, brassy female blues belters alive, recasting the spirits of early legends like Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Big Mama Thornton, and Memphis Minnie for the modern age. Taylor's rough, raw vocals were perfect for the swaggering new electrified era of the blues, and her massive hit "Wang Dang Doodle" served notice that male dominance in the blues wasn't as exclusive as it seemed. After a productive initial stint on Chess, Taylor spent several decades on the prominent contemporary blues label Alligator, going on to win more W.C. Handy Awards than any other female performer in history, and establishing herself as far and away the greatest female blues singer of her time. Collection includes: Koko Taylor (1969); South Side Lady (1973); I Got What It Takes (1975); The Earthshaker (1978); From The Heart Of A Woman (1981); Queen of the Blues (1985); Jump For Joy (1990).

Chris Farlowe - 14 Things To Thinks About (1966) Expanded Reissue

Posted By: Designol
Chris Farlowe - 14 Things To Thinks About (1966) Expanded Reissue

Chris Farlowe - 14 Things To Thinks About (1966) Expanded Reissue
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 299 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 180 Mb | Scans included
Label: Repertiore Records | # REP 4280-WY | Time: 01:17:05
Blue-Eyed Soul, British Invasion, Rhythm & Blues, Pop/Rock

The London born soul singer known as Chris Farlowe has long been highly rated by his fellow artists. You'll find a big Otis Redding influence on performances like in the Midnight Hour and Mr. Pitiful on this 1966 album, which also features his hit song Think. This expanded reissue features the original 14 track album plus 12 bonus tracks.

Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview (1972) Remastered Reissue 1997

Posted By: Designol
Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview (1972) Remastered Reissue 1997

Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview (1972) Remastered Reissue 1997
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 272 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 110 Mb | Scans included
Label: Polydor, Exile | # 537 451 2 | Time: 00:41:27
Singer/Songwriter, Rock, Folk Rock, Rhythm & Blues, Blue-Eyed Soul

Saint Dominic's Preview is the sixth studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison. It was released in July 1972 by Warner Bros. Records. Rolling Stone declared it "the best-produced, most ambitious Van Morrison record yet released." The diversity of the material on the album highlighted Morrison's fusing of Celtic folk, R&B, blues, jazz and the singer-songwriter genre. "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" and the title track were blends of soul and folk, while lesser known tracks such as "Gypsy" and "Redwood Tree" continued to display a lyrical celebration of nature's beauty. Also on the album were two lengthy tracks, "Listen to the Lion" and the closing "Almost Independence Day" which were given primal, cathartic and intense vocal performances from Morrison. These tracks were similar to the songs on his 1968 album, Astral Weeks.

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - On Tour With Eric Clapton (1970)

Posted By: Designol
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - On Tour With Eric Clapton (1970)

Delaney & Bonnie & Friends - On Tour With Eric Clapton (1970)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 292 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 132 Mb | Scans included
Blue-Eyed Soul, Blues Rock, Classic Rock | Label: ATCO | # 7567-90397-2 | Time: 00:42:36

This 42-minute, eight-song live album, cut at Croydon late in 1969, is not only the peak of Delaney & Bonnie's output, but also the nexus in the recording and performing careers of Eric Clapton and George Harrison. On Tour features Clapton performing the same blend of country, blues, and gospel that would characterize his own early solo ventures in 1970. He rises to the occasion with dazzling displays of virtuosity throughout, highlighted by a dizzying solo on "I Don't Want to Discuss," a long, languid part on "Only You Know and I Know," and searing, soulful lead on the beautifully harmonized "Coming Home." Vocally, Delaney & Bonnie were never better than they come off on this live set, and the 11-piece band sounds tighter musically than a lot of quartets that were working at the time, whether they're playing extended blues or ripping through a medley of Little Richard songs.

Otis Redding - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) [Analogue Productions, Remastered 2016]

Posted By: Designol
Otis Redding - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965) [Analogue Productions, Remastered 2016]

Otis Redding - Otis Blue / Otis Redding Sings Soul (1965)
Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 2016
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 191 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 83 Mb | Scans included
Deep Soul, Southern Soul | Label: Analogue Productions | # CAPP 095 SA | 00:33:39

Otis Redding's third album presents his talent unfettered, his direction clear and his confidence emboldened, with fully half the songs representing a reach that extended his musical grasp. More than a quarter of this album is given over to Redding's version of songs by Sam Cooke, his idol, who had died the previous December. Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul is considered by many critics to be Redding's first great album. Recorded in April and July of 1965, it was released September 15th of that same year. The styles of Cooke and Redding couldn't have been more different; Cooke smooth and sure, Redding raw and pleading. But Redding's versions of "Shake" and "A Change Is Gonna Come" show how Cooke's sound and message helped shape Redding's Southern soul sound. Redding's singing reaches a new level of expressiveness with this as well as with covers of B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby" and the Motown hit "My Girl." This great album receives the full Analogue Productions reissue treatment here, starting with Kevin Gray's remaster from the original analogue tapes.

Stevie Wonder - Albums Collection 1966-1985 (14CD) Japanese SHM-CD Reissue 2012

Posted By: Designol
Stevie Wonder - Albums Collection 1966-1985 (14CD) Japanese SHM-CD Reissue 2012

Stevie Wonder - Albums Collection 1966-1985 (14CD) Japanese SHM-CD Reissue 2012
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 3.7 Gb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 1.35 Gb | Scans ~ 615 Mb
Label: Universal Music Japan | # UICY-20346-20359 | Time: 10:05:00
Funk, Soul, R&B, Pop/Rock, Jazz-Funk, Disco

Collection includes: 'Up-Tight' (1966); 'Down To Earth' (1966); 'My Cherie Amour' (1969); 'Where I'm Coming From' (1971); 'Music Of My Mind' (1972); 'Talking Book' (1972); 'Innervisions' (1973); 'Fulfillingness' First Finale' (1974); 'Songs In The Key Of Life' 2CD (1976); 'Journey Through The Secret Life Of Plants' 2CD (1979); 'Hotter Than July' (1980); 'In Square Circle' (1985).

The Film Score Orchestra (VA) - Movie Love Songs (1997)

Posted By: Designol
The Film Score Orchestra (VA) - Movie Love Songs (1997)

The Film Score Orchestra - Movie Love Songs (1997)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 452 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 186 Mb | Scans included
Soundtracks, Pop, Soul, Easy Listening | Label: Going For A Song | # GFS024 | Time: 01:16:06

20 great songs. 'Up Where We Belong', 'Take My Breath Away', 'I Just Called to Say I Love You', 'Time of My Life', 'Stand by Me', 'What a Wonderful World', 'It Must Have Been Love', '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You', 'The Crying Game' and more, and more…

Fugees - "Blunted On Reality" (1994) + "The Score" (1996) 2 CD

Posted By: Designol
Fugees - "Blunted On Reality" (1994) + "The Score" (1996) 2 CD

Fugees - "Blunted On Reality" (1994) + "The Score" (1996)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 905 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 387 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae Fusion | Time: 02:28:40

The Fugees translated an intriguing blend of jazz-rap, R&B, and reggae into huge success during the mid-'90s, when the trio's sophomore album The Score hit number one on the pop charts and sold over five million copies. The trio formed in the late '80s in the New Jersey area, where Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel Michel ("Pras") attended a local high school and began working together. Michel's cousin Wyclef Jean ("Clef") joined the group (then called the Tranzlator Crew), and the trio signed to Ruffhouse/Columbia in 1993. After renaming themselves the Fugees (a term of derision, short for refugees, which was usually used to describe Haitian immigrants). Though the group's debut album, Blunted on Reality, was quite solid, it reflected a prevailing gangsta stance that may have been forced by the record label. Presents the Carnival No matter how pigeonholed the Fugees may have sounded on their debut, the group had obviously asserted their control by the time of their second album, The Score. With just as much intelligence as their jazz-rap forebears, the trio also worked with surprisingly straight-ahead R&B on the soulful "Killing Me Softly With His Song," sung by Lauryn Hill. Elsewhere, Clef and Pras sampled doo wop and covered Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," giving the record familiarity for the commercial mainstream, but keeping it real with insightful commentary on their urban surroundings. The Score became one of the surprise hits of 1996, reaching number one on the pop charts and making the Fugees one of the most visible rap groups around the world.

Dr. John - City Lights (1978) Reissue 2008

Posted By: Designol
Dr. John - City Lights (1978) Reissue 2008

Dr. John - City Lights (1978) Reissue 2008
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 216 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 94 Mb
Label: Verve | # 0602517686823 | Time: 00:38:34 | Scans ~ 56 Mb
New Orleans R&B, Piano Blues, Soul-Jazz

After the release of Mardi Gras in 1975, Dr. John (aka Mac Rebennack) left Atlantic Records. In late 1977, he signed with A&M's Horizon imprint – a label whose purpose was to showcase the jazz side of its parent company. City Lights is the better of two recordings he cut there. Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Hugh McCracken, City Lights was recorded at New York's Hit Factory Studios with a band of studio aces: drummer Steve Gadd, guitarists Cornell Dupree and John Tropea, bassist Will Lee, and Richard Tee as an additional keyboardist; Arthur Jenkins added percussive effects. The five-piece horn section included both David Sanborn and Ronnie Cuber. What's really startling, however, is the material. For most of the 1970s, Rebennack had been playing well-known tunes by other Crescent City luminaries and pop songwriters, contributing precious little of his material to his albums. On City Lights he wrote or co-wrote everything on the set. His songwriting partner for part of this date was none other than Doc Pomus. The best of both men is captured on the opener, "Dance the Night Away with You," a strolling New Orleans R&B number.