VA - Give Peas A Chance: 21 Obscure Hits and Jazzy Gems (2003 - 192kbps)

I want to thank Zer0_II for bringing me on board to contribute to this blog regularly. It has been a great pleasure thus far and I am ecstatic about all the good and interesting music we'll be posting in 2011.

My first post for the new year is a great compliment to Zer0_II's previous post of Pulse of Events. This is a compilation culling 21 tracks from various library music labels, released on vinyl and CD by the German label Crippled Dick Hot Wax. It is an hour long groovy excursion into sixties and seventies cinema full of tracks that range from the energetic blaxploitation/cop show-esque, brass-heavy rock of John Cameron's "Crime Squad" to the laid back, loungey, & funky awesomeness that is "Name of the Game" by Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett. The album is amazingly cohesive, with a flow that I find very impressive. If you need some tunes to make you feel like one cool MoFo, get this.

Year of Release: 2003
Label: Crippled Dick Hot Wax!
Catalog Number: CDHW 085
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Gary Grant / Simon Park - Good Company
2. André Ceccarelli - Panier A Crabes
3. Paul Kuhn - Gateway To Crime
4. Freddy Gigele - Polizeiruf 110
5. Alan Hawkshaw - Troubleshooter Vol. 2
6. John Cameron - Crime Squad
7. Brian Bennett / Alan Hawkshaw - Name Of The Game
8. Günter Platzek - Heavy Steel
9. Made In Germany - Sprungbrett 1
10. Wirbitzky-Zimmermann - Eat Art
11. Orchester K.J.Lubitz - Die Grosse Chance
12. Hötter-Zimmermann Group - Powerplay
13. Boris Jojic - Knock Out
14. Dieter Reith - Arabia
15. Jonny Teupen - Never Gonna Be A Skyscraper
16. Hartmut Kiesewetter - Wind It Up
17. Klaus Wüsthoff - Jet Clipper Suite
18. Berlipp's Band - Crime In Beat
19. Simon Park - Big Mouth
20. George Fenton / Ken Freeman - Mobil Unit
21. Freddy Gigele - Titel, Thesen, Temperamente

Download: VA - Give Peas A Chance: 21 Obscure Hits and Jazzy Gems
Download Size: 77MB

VA - Pulse Of Events (Themes International - TIM 1023) (1976 - 320kbps)

Some of you may remember that I closed out November with several dark library music selections. During the next couple of weeks I plan to return to sharing library music, but rather than strictly focusing on a specific mood or theme, I would like to share a diverse selection this time around. First up is a compilation entitled "Pulse of Events", released by the severely underrated Themes International library as TIM 1023 in 1976. I have a couple of reasons for posting this compilation. The first and most obvious reason is that this compilation is one of the most solid and beat-heavy library music albums that I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. The rather dull cover is certainly deceiving, as the vinyl it houses contains some real scorchers. The second reason I wanted to share this is so that I can direct your attention to a blogger that is relatively new to the scene, and off to a tremendous start. I remember when I first started blogging I was given a big push by a blogger who had been around for years. RYP from the legendary Twilightzone! blog introduced a great deal of people to my blog, who most likely never would have paid it a visit otherwise. Hopefully now that I've been blogging for nearly five years, I can give a similar push to others who are somewhat new to the music blogging scene. Pulse of Events was originally ripped by "Marsellus Wallace" and shared on his extraordinary blog Marcellus Wallace's Crate Favorites. Mr. Wallace recently shared several Themes International rips over on his blog to kick off the new year. Be sure to dig through the archives while you're there for more library music goodness.

The compilation opens up with three outstanding tracks by Alan Hawkshaw, each of which are suspenseful jazz-rock numbers, often heavy on the bass and brass, and with what sounds to be some amazing synth/keyboard and piano work as well. Hawkshaw is followed by Mike Moran, who delivers two solid funk-rock tracks. "Task Force" opens up with a hip-hop beat shortly before the brass, percussion and funky guitar work take over. "Situation Unstable" begins where the previous track left off, yet takes the track in a more rock oriented direction toward the latter half without losing its funky edge. Next up is David Lindup and "CCX", a laid-back and light rocking groover, which leans toward the funky side at times also, featuring some nice fuzzy guitar work, piano, and powerful bursts of brass. While "Inside Information" contains one of the hard and heaviest riffs on the whole compilation, it is very fun and soulful track at the core, featuring plenty of hammond organ and some light guitar thrown in for good measure. The next four tracks come courtesy of Alan Parker, perhaps best known for his work on "Afro Rock" on the legendary KPM label (KPM 1130). While each of these tracks is solid in their own right, they are outshadowed by the monstrous "Hard Line", a real hard rocking scorcher with some seriously fuzzy guitar licks that are nothing short of Bad Ass. Closing out the album are a couple of tracks by Les Hurdle and Alan Tew respectively. Hurdle's "Offbeat" is another laid-back funky groover with the emphasis on the beat. Alan Tew closes out the album with "The Come On", a solid track that is a bit dynamic in nature. It has a bit of a crime jazz feel to it at the onset, but continuously evolves throughout. Driving strings, a deliciously funky bassline and weird spaced out sounds can be heard throughout. My favorite part of the track is the introduction of the piano near the end of the track, which closes it out with a bit of ragtime flavor.

As far as library music goes, this compilation is very accessible and would serve as a great introduction for the uninitiated. I really can't recommend this compilation enough. As I mentioned before, Themes International is a criminally underrated label. Labels such as KPM often get the majority of attention from collectors, while labels such as Themes International manage to fly under the radar despite releasing a number of amazing releases. A couple of the performers are even well known for being KPM regulars. If you happen to stumble across any releases by Themes International on other blogs in the future, go ahead and do yourself a favor and download them. Chances are you will be glad that you did. If you enjoy this gem, then I'm sure you will enjoy the various other Themes International library LPs that Marcellus Wallace has made available on his blog also.

Year of Release: 1976
Label: Themes International
Catalog #: TIM 1023
Bitrate: 320kbps

Track List:
A1. Alan Hawkshaw - Troublemaker
A2. Alan Hawkshaw - The Hunted
A3. Alan Hawkshaw - The Investigator
A4. Mike Moran - Task Force
A5. Mike Moran - Situation Unstable
A6. David Lindup - CCX
A7. David Lindup - Inside Information
B1. Alan Parker - Move
B2. Alan Parker - Counter Move
B3. Alan Parker - Mustang
B4. Alan Parker - Hard Line
B5. Alan Parker - Stake Out
B6. Les Hurdle - Offbeat
B7. Alan Tew - The Come On

Download: VA - Pulse of Events (Themes International - TIM 1023)
Download Size: 77MB

The Coffin Daggers - The Coffin Daggers EP

Year of Release: 2005
Label: Urko Records
Genre: Instrumental, Surf

The Coffin Daggers are a phenomenal four piece surf instrumental act with a big, big sound and a really dark feel, with plenty of creepy reverb-laden guitar and organ.
Their sound is crisp, clear and perfect.
These in your face horror hits may be
just what your Halloween '08 party mix is missing.

The Coffin Daggers are on tour!
Buy their albums!

Track List
1.Coffin Dagger
2.Parasite
3.Shark Attack
4.Cat's Eyes
5.Monsters From The ID
6.Caravan



Download: The Coffin Daggers EP
Download size: 31 MB zip file

Link Wray - Rumble! The Best of Link Wray

Link Wray was a rock and roll guitar player most noted for introducing a new sound for electric guitars in his major hit, the 1958 instrumental "Rumble", which is considered by many to be the best rock instrumental of all time. Before Rumble, electric guitars were used to produce clean sounds and jazz chords. Wray made a new sound by inventing fuzz-tone, adding feedback, distortion and noise. Link Wray invented the power chord, the major modus operandi of modern rock guitarists. Listen to any of the tracks he recorded between that landmark instrumental in 1958 through his Swan recordings in the early '60s and you'll hear the blueprints for heavy metal, punk, thrash, you name it. Though rock historians always like to draw a nice, clean line between the distorted electric guitar work that fuels early blues records to the late-'60s Hendrix-Clapton-Beck-Page-Townshend mob, with no stops in between, a quick spin of any of the sides Wray recorded during his golden decade punches holes in that theory right quick. If a direct line can be traced forward from a black blues musician crankin' up his amp and playing with a ton of violence and aggression to a young white guy doing a mutated form of same, the line points straight to Link Wray, no contest. Pete Townshend summed it up for more guitarists than he probably realized when he said, "He is the king; if it hadn't been for Link Wray and "'Rumble,'" I would have never picked up a guitar."

Track List:
1. Rumble
2. The Swag
3. Raw-hide
4. Dixie-doodle
5. Rumble
6. Ain't That Loving You Baby
7. Jack The Ripper
8. The Black Widow
9. Big City After Dark
10. Run Chicken Run
11. The Shadow Knows
12. Deuces Wild
13. Hang On
14. Ace Of Spades
15. I'm Branded
16. Batman Theme
17. Climbing A High Wall
18. Switchblade
19. Hidden Charms
20. Jack The Ripper (Live Version)

Download: Link Wray - Rumble! The Best of Link Wray
Download Size: 68MB

Randy Holden - Population II

Here's another great album I managed to find on DC++. The following notes were included with the download:

LOUD. Very LOUD. Louder than Blue Cheer, who were louder than god.Chris Lockheed of Kak helped ex-Blue Cheer guitarist Randy Holden on the above album, which is an extension of the proto-metal direction he explored on Side Two of the third Blue Cheer album, New! Improved!. Probably because Holden plays all the music himself, the album sounds rather one-dimensional and sparse. It certainly isn't the best record that he's played on, but it's by far the rarest, and is still highly sought-after. The stories which have circulated for years, about it being withdrawn from the market immediately after release, are probably accurate. It is still held in high regard by collectors of primitive heavy rock, and copies were changing hands for hundreds of dollars over twenty years ago.

Holden had earlier played with The Fender IV, Sons Of Adam, The Other Half and Blue Cheer. His early works have been compiled on the CD, Randy Holden Early Works '64-'66: The Fender IV, Sons Of Adam (Captain Trip Records) 1997. It includes both of The Sons Of Adams' 45s for Decca plus three previously unreleased cuts, Without Love, I Told You Once Before and You Make Me Feel Good. It also includes the two 45s for Imperial by The Fender IV plus two previously unreleased tracks, Highway Surfer and Little Ollie.

One year after his departure from Blue Cheer, Randy Holden released this solo album accompanied only by ex-Kak drummer, Chris Lockheed on drums. And until the original master tapes surface and “Population II” gets reissued for real, one must be content with a recording level a little less coherent than “Metallic K.O.” But despite its total lack of fidelity, one thing it still has going strong in the mix is Holden’s lead guitar blasting out relentlessly from the curtain of his Sunn amplifier cabinets, as pictured on the back cover. I count 16 in this photo, but there were probably more. I mean, Holden had to rent an opera house in order to just rehearse, as each speaker could handle 200 watts. However many were fit into the confines of Amigo Studios, the very same studio Blue Cheer had recorded “New! Improved!” with Holden in tow (well, for half an album’s worth, anyway*) is anybody’s guess. But there were enough to make it… LOUD. Very LOUD. Louder than Blue Cheer, who were louder than god.

But Population II were gods one louder: a Power Duo with their amplifiers set at eleven. What we hear is a little under a half an hour’s worth of Holden’s super-slowed and heavy guitar riffing/wailing/soaring. The pure sludge of it will cause cracks in your ceiling, all the windows of your room, the sky itself and possibly even your brain. It’s almost as though Holden is trying to make his drummer sense his purpose is futile and bolt the studio door to leave him alone to continue his deafening work as it dwarfs everything in its path as guitar solo upon guitar solo reduce Lockheed’s drumming to function more as punched pillows in the background. And Holden’s volcanic eruptions continue as slow as molasses and fiery as lava, spewing forth a barrage to drown out even the caterwauling-ness of his own vocals…not to mention his rhythm and bass guitar tracks.

It’s a telling sign that the album’s opener is entitled “Guitar Song”, for this is a man truly in love with his guitar. He loves it so much, it rivals his own vocal lyrics as more a voice-over (or rather, ‘voice-under’ as it’s buried by a couple hundred decibels of guitar) that scream (although by comparison to the lead guitar, is a microscopic whisper in comparison): “I pierce the air with pain -- AND LOVE!!!” as the guitar lines crawl and wriggle while roaring out at top volume simultaneously.

“Fruit & Iceburgs” (sic) is one of the three tracks Holden wrote and played on for Blue Cheer’s “New! Improved!” album*. It’s far bettered here -- far more unrestrained, and much darker and with a psychotic introductory solo that is all vibrato, sustaino and a thousand dead souls howling in the wind akin to the death lament sustain Iommi shakes out at the very end of “Children of The Grave”. A brief track called “Between Time” divides “Fruit & Iceburgs” into two parts and sees the drums getting a bit more audible. It’s also the only place where the tempo swings up by half a notch in tempo, with plenty of vocal punctuation from Holden who coaxing his guitar into a bitching bump and grind as though to give Daddy more sugar as he soars off on the (probably all too) tangible wings of volume. “Fruit & Iceburgs (Conclusion)” fades back in and although it is really just the coda, it takes them little over a minute to end it with drum fills and shrieking sustain of infinity (Playing at a volume as high and long as Population II did must have altered their biochemistry to some degree, and the deliberate volume abuse must have caused their perception of time to slow).

The second side offers more of Holden roaring out at top volume and minimum speed with guitar lines that seem more a barometer of his soul than mere riffs, flowing together like trains of thought constantly converging and splitting apart. “Blue My Mind” has a feel like a far more damaged “Had To Cry Today” by Blind Faith played far heavier, doomier and slower. A wordless chorus almost tries to hurry up the pace of the main theme, but no way -- this is Holden’s experimental journey, and getting there is more important than the destination. “Keeper of The Flame” starts off with a tom-tom pattern from Lockheed that gets practically wiped out by Holden’s sudden departure from Population II’s speed limit: He’s now really kicking up speed and letting loose, with slurred accenting up and down the neck. He then starts wah-wahing and soloing with expertly felt tone and sustain. One short break and feedback flourish sets the stage for the emergence of the ultimate “Population II” riff: one whose tail AND scrotum dragging-ness is of the s-l-o-w-e-s-t order. It’s so slow it’s on the verge of heading back in time. And it’s so heavy it’s off on a forced march to armageddon with attached lead weights.

Year of Release: 1970
Label: Hobbit
Genre: Instrumental, Metal
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. Guitar Song
2. Fruit & Iceburgs
3. Between Time
4. Fruit & Iceburgs (Conclusion)
5. Blue My Mind
6. Keeper Of The Flame
Bonus Tracks (From "Guitar God" Album 1996)
7. Dark Eyes
8. Wild Fire
9. Scarlet Rose
10. Pain in My Heart
11. Hell And High Water
12. No Trace
13. Got Love
14. Blue My Mind

Download: Randy Holden - Population II
Download Size: 74MB

Jean-Jacques Perrey - Moog Sensations

I have a lot going on in my personal life right now, so until further notice I'm going to try to keep my posts here as brief as possible. That may mean that you will have to wait (not long) for album art, track listings, and other additional info concerning the material that I post. I'll go into more detail as soon as I have time.

It is no secret that Jean-Jacques Perrey broke considerable ground for electronic music. But did you know he also cut his fair share of sound library tracks? It makes all the sense in the world. Created for the Montparnasse 2000 label during an unspecified year (probably in the early '70s), Moog Sensations has all of the hallmarks of Perrey's brilliant sound: pulsing electronic rhythms, whimsical melodic inventiveness and virtuoso keyboard work.

Listening to tracks like "Aerolithe Alpha" and "Ballet Intersideral" one quickly understands why today's electronica artists (and even techno pioneers like Kraftwerk) owe such an incredible debt to Perrey.Perrey's cooly cerebral sonic fabrications set the stage for today's electronic musicians.

Year of Release: 1971
Label: Dare-Dare/Pulp Flavor
Genre: Electronic
Bitrate: 192kbps

Track List:
1. The Percolator
2. Moog Sensations
3. Aerolithe Alpha
4. Ballet Intersideral
5. Borborygmus
6. One Zero Zero
7. Chronophonie
8. Coeur Synthetique
9. Berceuse Pour Un Bebe Robot
10. Indicatif Spatial
11. Pizzicato Pour Venus
12. One Two Two
13. Music
14. La Panthere Cosmique
15. Soiree Chez Jean-Sebasien
16. Quand Le Temps Sera Venu
17. Colonie Celeste
18. La Tour Pointue
19. Relaxation
20. Moogie Boogy

Download: Jean-Jacques Perrey - Moog Sensations
Download Size: 40MB

German Oak - German Oak

In the strange Olympic summer of 1972, the Dusseldorf instrumental group German Oak entered the Luftschutzbunker, or Air Raid Shelter, in order to record their eponymous first LP. A free form rock band founded by a small community of 5 German hippies / "avant garde" artists back at the beginning of the 70's. Their self title effort was recorded in a WWII air raid bunker. The cover of their self title album (a militaristic image which is a portrait of the third Reich military force) provides an illustration of anger expressed by the WWII’s young generation against their parents. By consequence German Oak's music is very tortured, dark and weird, dominated by heavy, "distorted" guitar solos & rhythms. The background creates "painful" & "ambient" sequences thanks to delay echoes, electronic "fuzzy" noises & repetitive bass lines. A funkadelic/jazzy felt punctuates with discretion this grandiose, "creepy" instrumental album. A first CD reissue was offered by Witch And Warlock in 1991. Today this album is re-edited by Radioactive records (2005). In a rather discretion they also released the moody, cloudy and experimental epic-kraut "Niebenlungenieg"

Following in the footsteps of the percussive and organic Organisation and the remarkable Dom, German Oak had every reason to believe that this 3rd LP to be recorded by a Dusseldorf band would be warmly received. Unfortunately, German Oak were not only wrong in their assumptions that locals would embrace their music, but even local record shops rejected all the group's attempts to sell the albums in city outlets. Such was their lack of success that 202 of the original 213 copies were stored in the basement of the group's organist until the mid-1980s, when a thirst for undiscovered Krautrock finally brought German Oak back from the dead.
(Year of Release: 1972)

Track List:
1. Airalert
2. Down In The Bunker
3. Raid Over Dusseldorf
4. 1945 - Out of the Ashes

Download: German Oak - German Oak (60.3MB)

Buckethead - Monsters & Robots

I'm short on time today, so I'm just going to leave you with this, and put up an offsite review for the time being.

"Mixing metallic guitar heroics with funk, hip-hop, electronica, and a cinematic soundtrack feel, Buckethead's Monsters and Robots is yet another eclectic opus inspired in large part by low-budget monster/horror, martial arts, and science fiction movies, especially those of Japan. Like any Buckethead album, the music does meander in spots, but this outing does improve on its predecessor Colma by employing a variety of guest bassists; Primus' Les Claypool (as well as drummer Brain), Bootsy Collins, and Bill Laswell all enliven the music's rhythmic underpinnings in ways that Buckethead's own bass playing on Colma didn't. Plus, the contributions of guest DJs Phonosycograph Disk, DJ Eddie Def, and Xtrakd are inventive and stimulating, complementing rather than confusing the musical mix. It may not be completely consistent, but Monsters and Robots offers more than enough musical derangement to satisfy." - Allmusic

(Year of Release: 1999)

Track List:
1. Jump Man
2. Stick Pit
3. The Ballad of Buckethead
4. Sow Thistle
5. Revenge of the Double Man
6. Night of the Slunk
7. Who Me?
8. Jowles
9. The Shape vs. Buckethead
10. Stun Operator
11. Scapula
12. Nun Chuka Kata

Download: Buckethead - Monsters & Robots (58MB)

Masamichi Amano - Battle Royale OST

This is the official movie sountrack for the Japanese film Battle Royale. For those who haven't had the pleasure of watching this very controversial movie, here is a short plot summary

Battle Royale takes place in an alternate timeline in which Japan is a police state, known as the Republic of Greater East Asia. Every year fifty 3rd year junior high (grade 9) classes are chosen to forcibly fight to the death against one another until one student per class remains alive.

I believe this soundtrack is perfect for those who love classical, those who aren't familiar with it, and even those who wouldn't normally like it. Much like the film, this album creates a mood of excitement with powerful, dramatic, and even violent music, all the while remaining beautiful at the same time. The soundtrack mixes original pieces by composer Masamichi Amano, alongside classical masterpieces by the likes of Verdi, Bach, Strauss, and Schubert.

Track List:
01. Requiem (Verdi) Prologue (Masamichi Amano)
02. Millenium Education Reform Act
03. Teacher
04. The Game Begins
05. Memory
06. Slaughter House
07. Radetsky March (Johann Strauss I)
08. Student Battles
09. Blue Danube Waltz (Johann Strauss II)
10. Escape
11. Nanahara and Noriko friendship
12. Auf Dem Wasser Zu Singen (Franz Schubert)
13. Kawada's Theme
14. Kiriyama Attacks
15. Mimuras Determination
16. Utsumi and Nanahara Poison Medecine
17. The War of Girls Without Faith Nor Law
18. Reunion
19. Air From Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Major (Johann Sebastian Bach)
20. The Third Man
21. Teacher and Student Final Battle
22. Bitter Victory
23. A New Journey
24. Bonus Track - Shizuka Na Hibi No Kaidan Wo

Download: Masamichi Amano - Battle Royale (133.2MB)

100 Masterpieces - The Top 100 of Classical Music - Volumes 1-10

I thought it was about time that I offered up some classical music for a change here. This 10 disc set features 100 of the greatest classical songs in Western Classical Music. With selections from numerous composers, it is an easy way to familiarize oneself with some of the most popular classical works and excerpts. A pleasant listen for the initiated too. These were originally released as two compilations consisting of 5 volumes each, with the first covering the period of time between 1685-1841, and the second volume covering 1842-1928. Since my time is limited, I will post each of the 10 volumes individually.

Volume 1: 1865-1730
1. Bach - Toccata in D minor
2. Pachelbel - Canon in D
3. Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, 1st movement
4. Handel - Water Music, Suite No. 2 in D
5. Purcell - Trumpet Tune and Air
6. Bach - Air (from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D)
7. Vivaldi - The Four Seasons - Spring
8. Albinoni - Adagio
9. Vivaldi - Mandoline Concerto in C, RV 425
10. Bach - Minuet and Badinerie (from Orchestral Suite No. 2)

Download: 100 Masterpeices - Volume 1 (82MB)

Volume 2: 1731-1775
1. Handel - "Hallelujah" from Messiah
2. Gluck - Dance of the Blessed Spirits, from "Orpheus and Eurydice"
3. Bach - Sinfonia in G, from "Christmas Oratorio"
4. Mozart - Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, 1st movement
5. Handel - Largo, from "Xerxes"
6. Vivaldi - Flute Concerto in G minor "La Notte", VI. Allegro
7. Handel - Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, from "Solomon"
8. Bach - Oboe Concerto in D minor, 2nd movement
9. Handel - Concerto grosso in A minor op. 6 No. 4
10. Mozart - Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, 2nd movement

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 2 (79.5MB)

Volume 3: 1776-1787
1. Mozart - Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 1st movement
2. Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 21 in C, 2nd movement ("Elvira Madigan"
3. Mozart - The Marriage of Figaro - Overture
4. Mozart - Flute Concerto No. 2 in D, 2nd movement
5. Mozart - Rondo Alla Turca, from Piano Sonata in A
6. Mozart - Don Giovanni - Overture
7. Mozart - Horn Conerto No. 3 in E flat, 2nd movement
8. Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, 1st movement
9. Mozart - The Marriage of Figaro - March
10. Mozart - Serenata Notturna

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 3 (83.3MB)

Volume 4: 1788-1810
1. Mozart - Symphony No. 40, 1st movement
2. Beethoven - "Moonlight" Sonata, 1st movement
3. Haydn - Symphony No. 94, "Surprise", 2nd movement
4. Mozart - The Magic Flute - Overture
5. Beethoven - Fur Elise
6. Haydn - Emperor's Hymn, from Sring Quartet in C
7. Beethoven - Symphony No. 5, 1st movement
8. Mozart - Clarinet Concerto in A, 2nd movement
9. Beethoven - Minuet in G
10. Haydn - Trumpet Concerto in E flat, 3rd movement

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 4 (79.4MB)

Volume 5: 1811-1841
1. Rossini - The Barber of Seville - Overture
2. Schubert - Symphony No. 8 in B minor, "Unfinished"
3. Mendelssohn - Spring Song
4. Chopin - Polonaise in A, Op. 40 No. 3, "Military"
5. Schubert - Ballet Music in G, from "Rosamunde"
6. Weber - Der Freischutz - Overture
7. Schubert - Ave Maria
8. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4 in A, "Italian", 1st movement
9. Schumann - Traumerci
10. Schubert - German Dance No. 1

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 5 (85.2MB)

Volume 6: 1842-1853
1. Mendelssohn - Wedding March, from "A Midsummer Night's Dream"
2. Liszt - Liebestraum No. 3 in A flat
3. Verdi - Nabucco - Overture
4. Schumann - The Merry Peasant
5. Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2
6. Wagner - Lohengrin - Prelude to Act 3
7. Verdi - La Traviata - Prelude to Act 1
8. Wagner - Tannhauser - Arrival of the Guests at Wartburg
9. Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto in E minor, 2nd movement
10. Suppe - Poet and Peasant - Overture

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 6 (81.3MB)

Volume 7: 1854-1866
1. Offenbach - Orpheus in the Underworld - Overture
2. Rubinstein - Melody in F
3. Liszt - Les Preludes
4. Brahms - Waltz in A flat
5. Verdi - The Force of Destiny - Overture
6. Grieg - I Love You
7. Smetana - The Bartered Bride - Overture
8. Offenbach - Barcarolle, from "The Tales of Hoffmann"
9. Strauss II - Tritsch Tratsch Polka
10. Suppe - Light Cavalry - Overture

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 7 (63.6MB)

Volume 8: 1867-1876
1. Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, 1st movement (excerpt)
2. Brahms - Cradle Song
3. Smetana - The Moldau
4. Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries, from "The Valkyrie"
5. Grieg - Morning, from "Peer Gynt"
6. Bizet - Les Toreadors, from "Carmen"
7. Delibes - Notturno, from "Coppelia"
8. Tchaikovsky - Marche Slave, Op. 31
9. Bizet - L'Arlesienne - Intermezzo
10. Strauss II - The Blue Danube - Waltz

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 8 (83.9MB)

Volume 9: 1877-1893
1. Tchaikovsky - Polonaise, from "Eugene Onegin"
2. Dvorak - Symphony No. 9, from "The New World"
3. Tchaikovsky - Waltz of the Flowers, from "The Nutcracker"
4. Rimsky-Korsakov - Alborado, from "Capriccio Espagnol"
5. Grieg - The Last Spring
6. Dvorak - Slavonic Dance No. 2
7. Tchaikovsky - The Sleeping Beauty - Introduction
8. Wagner - Siegfried's Death and Funeral March, from "Twilight of the Gods"
9. Dvorak - Songs My Mother Taught Me
10. Strauss II - Emperor Waltz

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 9 (82.4MB)

Volume 10: 1894-1928
1. Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra - Fanfare
2. Mahler - Symphony No. 5 - Adagietto
3. Sibelius - Finlandia
4. Rimsky-Korsakov - Dance of the Bumble Bee
5. Massenet - Meditation, from "Thais"
6. Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance - March No. 1
7. Dvorak - Humoresque
8. Sibelius - Valse Triste
9. Strauss II - Vienna Blood - Waltz
10. Ravel - Bolero

Download: 100 Masterpieces - Volume 10 (89.79MB)

Buckethead - Secret Recipe DVD - 4 Unreleased Tracks

As requested.. here's 4 previously unreleased tracks from Buckethead. The following tracks were released exclusively with the Secret Recipe DVD. This upload does not contain all the tracks that were included on the DVD, only the 4 tracks that were previously unreleased. These tracks represent his early work and most of them were recorded in 1988. They have a more raw energetic sound to them than some of Buckethead's later efforts.

Track List
1. Brazos
2. Soowee
3. Count Scapula
4. John Merrick Lectures

Download: Buckethead - 4 Unreleased Tracks (23.5MB)

Harvey Mandel - Righteous

In the mold of Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, and Mike Bloomfield, Mandel is an extremely creative rock guitarist with heavy blues and jazz influences. And like those guitarists, his vocal abilities are basically nonexistent, though Mandel, unlike some similar musicians, has always known this, and concentrated on recordings that are entirely instrumental, or feature other singers. He recorded some intriguing (though erratic) work on his own that anticipated some of the better elements of jazz-rock fusion, showcasing his concise chops, his command of a multitude of tone pedal controls, and an eclecticism that found him working with string orchestras and country steel guitar wizards. Mandel got his first toehold in the fertile Chicago white blues-rock scene of the mid-'60s, and made his first recordings as the lead guitarist for harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite. Enticed to go solo by Blue Cheer producer Abe Kesh, Harvey cut a couple of nearly wholly instrumental albums for Phillips in the late '60s that were underground FM radio favorites, establishing him as one of the most versatile young American guitar lions.

He gained his most recognition, though, not as a solo artist, but as a lead guitarist for Canned Heat in 1969 and 1970, replacing Henry Vestine and appearing with the band at Woodstock. In the mid-'70s, when the Rolling Stones were looking for a replacement for Mick Taylor, Mandel auditioned for a spot in the group; although he lost to Ron Wood, his guitar does appear on two cuts on the Stones' 1976 album, Black & Blue. Recording intermittently since then as a solo artist and a sessionman, his influence on the contemporary scene is felt via the two-handed fretboard tapping technique that he introduced on his 1973 album Shangrenade, later employed by Eddie Van Halen, Stanley Jordan, and Steve Vai.

Righteous is not as consistent as his debut , due to the presence of a few pedestrian blues-rock numbers. The better tracks, though, show Mandel continuing to expand his horizons with imagination, particularly on the cuts with string and horn arrangements by noted jazz arranger Shorty Rogers. Harvey's workout on Nat Adderley's "Jazz Samba" is probably his best solo performance, and an obvious touchstone for the Latin-rock hybrid of Carlos Santana (whose own debut came out the same year); on the other side of the coin, "Boo-Bee-Doo" is one of his sharpest and snazziest straight blues-rockers.
(Year of Release: 1969)

Track List
1. Righteous
2. Jive Samba
3. Love of Life
4. Poontang
5. Just a Hair More
6. Summer Sequence
7. Short's Stuff
8. Boo-Bee-Doo
9. Campus Blues

Harvey Mandel - Righteous (52.7MB)

Buckethead - Acoustic Shards

Acoustic Shards is an album by Buckethead, which consists of acoustic recordings culled from tapes that were reportedly recorded in 1991. This is largely considered his 20th album release, but more of a specialty album than his latest efforts

The album was released on May 31 by Jas Obrecht, through his label Avabella, who also released the Young Buckethead DVDs.[2]

According to Jas Obrecht:
“ Imagine, if you will, that Buckethead walked into a quiet living room, picked up an acoustic guitar, and began improvising one amazing composition after the next -- that's what happened when we recorded "Acoustic Shards" back in 1991. (It was taped a couple of weeks after the final Deli Creeps concert on the Young Buckethead DVDs, but is quite different musically.) It is a single-CD, 52:30 minutes in length, 15 tracks. Included are very early versions of "For Mom" and "Who Me?" as well as a lot of stuff you've never heard before. The playing is spectacular -- some of it sounds like Django Reinhardt meets Ornette Coleman meets young EVH meets... well, that which is uniquely and lovably Buckethead. Some passages are so advanced you'd swear it's two guitarists -- but it was all recorded in real time and without overdubs -- while other parts are just melodically beautiful beyond words. So far, everyone who's heard it has said it's the kind of music that resonates in you long after the stereo's been turned off.
(Year of Release: 2007)

Track List:
1. For Mom [Early Version]
2. Little Gracie
3. Who Me? [Early Version]
4. Ed's Rhapsody/Midnight Dance/Jars
5. Ganryu Island/Saskia's Gone
6. Ghosts Upstairs
7. Spirals
8. Cubes, Chunks & Crumbles
9. Thugs
10. Dinging/Ah-Ji-Jee
11. Johnny
12. Stay out of the Shed
13. Serape
14. Longing
15. Box Elders

Download: Buckethead - Acoustic Shards (67.4MB)

Marty Friedman - Music For Speeding

Marty Friedman has been around for what seems like ages, and through the years has released numerous albums, either as a solo artist, or in bands such as Megadeath and Cacophony. "Music For Speeding" shows Friedman in excellent shape but more importantly: Friedman shows a good understanding of songwriting here as well! And that's a key ingredient to making an amazing instrumental album.

I myself am definitely the kinda guy who prefers a full band *including* singer, but on "Music For Speeding" I don't miss vocals for a minute. On songs like "Lovesorrow" Friedman actually manages to make his guitar sing. You can fill in the words yourself. This goes for "Corazon De Santiago" as well, by the way.

The album has a very up-to-date sound. Take "Nastymachine" as an example. I suppose there's a fair bit of sequencing going on here, but the manner in which Friedman implements his ultracool leads here is amazing. And check out the bass here too (Barry Sparks). This dude is doing some very cool grooving on this track. Cheergirl Rampage is by far my favorite track on this album. It's a very upbeat song, and sounds as if techno and metal collided head on, with a favorable outcome.

If you are wondering if a veteran like Friedman has gained some serious competition these days; well yes - he has. But trust me. Friedman can shred with all the newcomers and then some! Nothing but respect for Marty and his amazing Music For Speeding.
(Year of Release: 2003)

Track List:
1. Gimmie A Dose
2. Fuel Injection Stingray
3. Ripped
4. It's The Unreal Thing
5. Cheer Girl Rampage
6. Lust For Life
7. Lovesorrow
8. Nastymachine
9. Catfight
10. Corazon De Santiago
11. 0-7-2
12. Salt In The Wound
13. Novocaine Kiss

Download: Marty Friedman - Music For Speeding (64.4MB)

Buckethead - Population Override

I was planning on posting this next week, but since someone on a forum I frequent requested it, and the Giant Robot album by him got downloaded more than any other album on this blog, here's Population Override...

Population Override shows off still another side of the enigmatic virtuoso Buckethead. In the past, he seemed to sway between seriously heavy metal (like Cuckoo Clocks of Hell), more contemplative works (like Electric Tears), and drum'n'bass or electronica-influenced albums (like Day of the Robot and Bermuda Triangle). Featuring Travis Dickerson on keys and Pinchface on drums (and Buckethead on guitars and basses), Population Override is as close to an instrumental early Funkadelic album as almost anyone has gotten (think "Maggot Brain). These are actually tunes, not just riffing showcases, and Buckethead plays with an astonishing sense of depth and feeling; there are very few of his trademark hyperspeed licks. "Unrestrained Growth" uses a riff close to "Cosmic Slop," and "Too Many Humans" evokes the same melancholy that Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" does. "A Day Will Come" adds a bit more crunch to the guitar, while "Humans Vanish" is a delicate solo guitar piece, and he finishes with a pretty straight blues on "...." All in all, this is Buckethead's most consistent, enjoyable work, with great playing and almost none of the flash he has displayed on previous releases. (Year of Release: 2004)

Track List:
1. Unrestrained Growth
2. Too Many Humans
3. Population Override
4. Humans Vanish
5. Cruel Reality Of Nature
6. A Day Will Come
7. Earth Heals Herself
8. Clones
9. Super Human
10. ...

Download: Buckethead - Population Override (76.2MB)

Buckethead - Giant Robot

This is my favorite album by the guitar god who wears a white mask and a KFC chicken bucket on his head. Buckethead also happens to be my favorite guitar player currently alive, and one of the most original artists out there. I have listened to the majority of his albums and I feel that this one best displays Buckethead's musical range. Most of the songs on the album are primarily instrumental, and it is dotted with songs containing lyrics that are both fun and morbid at the same time. Some of the songs on this album are hit and miss for me. There are those that I don't care for too much, but there are those that stand out which I absolutely love. My favorite songs on the album are the instrumentals, Welcome to Bucketheadland and Binge & Grab, which are both straight forward rock and roll with blistering solos. I Come In Peace is another great song with crazy lyrics and incredible music. Any Star Wars fan will love his rendition of the various songs from the movie. I Love My Parents is perhaps one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard and a complete change of pace from the rest of the songs on the album. This album comes highly recommended for those of you who like experimental music or just fantastic guitar players, and would be a great starting point for anyone who's not familiar with Buckethead.

Track List
1. Doomride
2. Welcome To Bucketheadland
3. I Come In Peace
4. Buckethead's Toy Store
5. Want Some Slaw?
6. Warweb
7. Aquabot
8. Binge And Grab (Instrumental Version)
9. Pure Imagination
10. Buckethead's Chamber Of Horrors
11. Onions Unleashed
12. Chicken
13. I Love My Parents
14. Buckethead's TV Show
15. Robot Transmission
16. Pirate's Life For Me
17. Post Office Buddy
18. Star Wars
19. Last Train To Bucketheadland

Download: Buckethead - Giant Robot (100.8MB)