Album Reviews

They are expensive ($40.00), they are 200 grams thick, the titles are mostly inspired and as you might expect, the pressing and jacket quality are absolutely spectacular.

CSN&Y played and sang live better than ever during this 2006 “Freedom of Speech” tour as you'll hear on this 16 track document, none of which was overdubbed. The only “overdub” was of a 100 voice choir recorded at Capitol studios, Hollywood before the tour that was added to the live shows as well.

There never has been a spectacular-sounding reissue of this great Cream classic and there never will be. Unfortunately, the original recording was not particularly distinguished.

(Originally posted in 2006)
With the release of the second, third and fourth Fairport Convention albums on 180g vinyl, lovers of British folk and folk/rock who weren’t around when these records were issued on vinyl by A&M in America and Island in the UK, can hear the brilliance of both the group and John Wood’s sympathetic engineering as originally intended. CD simply can’t breath life into the late Sandy Denny’s voice. On vinyl she’ll take your breath away. (Originally posted in 2006)

The cover of Fishmans’ “new” live LP Wakainagaramo Rekishi Ari (“Young, But With History”) might mislead you: after all, the drummer is wearing his own merch, the bassist’s baseball cap is far from stylish, and the eccentrically dressed frontman appears disconnected from reality, completely lost in his own music. And unless you live in Japan, you won’t see Fishmans albums in record stores, nor find them on “greatest albums” lists. So, what’s all the hype about?

Like West Meets East (Angel/EMI 36418 LP) the famous Ravi Shankar/Yehudi Menuhin collaboration from 1966, this 1992 get together between the guitarist/musicologist Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a classically trained Indian musician you may have unknowingly seen playing the Mohan Viña (an instrument he devised) in the DVD “A Concert For George,” attempts to mesh Eastern and Western musical sensibilities.