PASSWORD:
BAISTOPHE

DEAD LINKS

NOTE : DEAD LINKS
We'd like to thank everyone for preventing us of dead links. For the moment, we are note able to re-up them.

Feel free to keep on preventing us of those dead links. We will update them when we (I and Jeb-E-Diah) have more time to (understand : from september). Some of them will be partially or completely repacked considering albums which would have been issued thereafter and surely with new and improved artworks.

Stay tuned !







Friday, January 30, 2009

THE FLOCK (ABO #158)

THE FLOCK
1969-1975

Forming in late-'60s Chicago, the Flock forever languished in the shadow of the Chicago Transit Authority (later famous as just plain Chicago), whose peculiar approach to art rock — incorporating horns and other unorthodox instrumentation into rock and jazz forms — they also pursued. But though they clearly lacked Chicago's smash-hit-penning abilities, the Flock possessed a secret weapon in masterful violinist Jerry Goodman, and their genre-smashing compositions were often even more extreme, if not exactly Top 40 material.Rick Canoff (vocals, saxophone) and Fred Glickstein (vocals, guitar, organ) were already performing in a garage band called the Exclusives in 1965 when they decided to rename themselves the Flock. The duo recorded a number of independent singles with various backing musicians over the next few years, but it wasn't until they discovered that their guitar tech, one Jerry Goodman, also happened to be a virtuoso violinist and invited him into the fold that the Flock's sound truly began to take shape. By 1969, the septet was completed by Jerry Smith (bass), Ron Karpman (drums), John Gerber (sax, flute, banjo), and Tom Webb (sax, flute), and had scored a deal with Columbia Records, for whom they recorded their groundbreaking eponymous debut that same year. But, not even enthusiastic endorsements from some of the era's most respected musicians (including English blues legend John Mayall, who famously dubbed them the "best American band" he'd heard and wrote the album's liner notes) could help sell the Flock's complicated music, which simply proved too unusual and inaccessible for most consumers. The band continued to plug along on the live circuit, including a stint at the prestigious 1970 Bath Festival (where they performed before a then-skyrocketing Led Zeppelin), but their label, Columbia, was already beginning to lose faith. Complicating matters further, 1971's Dinosaur Swamps proved a disappointing second effort, falling well short of its predecessor's inspirational flights; it is perhaps best-remembered for its beautiful cover artwork, rather than the songs contained within. A third LP, reportedly to be called "Flock Rock," was summarily shelved uncompleted, and the Flock had fallen apart by 1972. Violinist Goodman later worked with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Dixie Dregs, among others, but except for a brief, disastrous reunion which yielded 1975's ill-received Inside Out album, the remaining members of the Flock soon faded into rock & roll obscurity. (allmusic)




clown

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

AMAZING BLONDEL (ABO#157)

AMAZING BLONDEL
THE LEGEND
1970-1997

Amazing Blondel was an english folk band that emerged in the very late 60s. After a first album where the band didn't really knew how they would sound, they finally completely dropped the electric stuff to go further into some medieval music. After 4 albums, the trio became a duet also dropping the "Amazing" in its name. The music became more and more pop but less recognisable as a Blondel style... Maybe because of the adjunction of a guest musician on every album. One of the less interesting albums however features a croud of well known guests (Eddie Jobson, Paul Kossoff, Boz Burrell, Simon Kirke, Mick Ralphs, ...). After a long silence, the band came back as a trio and were back into the sound they will finally always be known for.

Extracts :
Pavan

Sinfonia for Guitars and Strings






My Amazing Blondel TOP 3 :
1. England (1971)
2. Fantasia Lindum (1971)
3. Evensong (1970)

My Amazing Blondel BOTTOM 3 :
1. Bad Dreams (1976)
2. Blondel (1973)
3. Mulgrave Street (1974)



Sunday, January 25, 2009

AROUND THE WORLD (VAC #019)



AROUND THE WORLD...
...IN 38 SONGS


What better way to travel than music?
To celebrate one year of blogging at BAISTOPHE, we offer you this experience...
Here, you'll find music from the 5 continents in all their flavours and diversities.
We hope you'll enjoy the ride and that it will make you want to listen to more music from all over the world!




Goran Bregovic - Kalasnjikov



Los Lobos - Flor De Huevo



NB: the front image with tracklist included in the links has an error, it's been replaced in this post. Click on the image and copy the new one.

The password for the second link (CD2) is MOODSWINGS.

Friday, January 23, 2009

AIR (ABO #156)


LIGHT AS
AIR

Seldom has there been so succesful French band on an international level. Air have opened the way for many others such as Daft Punk, Justice an others proving how very lively the electronic music scene is in France.
It all started in 1998 when Moon Safari came to life and its first single, Sexy Boy, became a major hit. Since then, Air have proven they were much more than a simple electronica act. Their second album showed influences such as Pink Floyd while the soundtrack to Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides had already proven, one year before, how very talented and versatile the duo was.
The years have passed, 2 more albums and a collaboration with Italian author Alessandro Baricco have been released and, never did Air disappoint.
To this day, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel remain vivid forces of the French scene and more. They even were the masterminds behind Charlotte Gainsbourg's (Serge Gainsbourg's daughter) debut album in 2006, 5:55, and should resume their collaboration for her new album scheduled this year. In 2006, Jean-Benoît Dunckel also released his first solo work, under the name Darkel, which, despite its quality, failed to meet its audience.
Anyway, here's a selection of subtle groove and rich melodies à la Air. Enjoy.




Playground Love



Alpha Beta Gaga



My AIR Top:
1. The Virgin Suicides
2. Talkie Walkie
3. Moon Safari
4. Premiers Symptomes
5. Air + Baricco
6. Pocket Symphony
7. 10.000 Hz Legend

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA (ABO#155)

MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
(1970-1987)

John McLaughlin is one of the major guitarists in the Jazz world. He has made many albums alone or with other people (Carlos Santana, for instance)... and as a session guitarist (the Herman's Hermits is another example). His mentor, Mile Davis gave him good education, the love of Jazz and the love of any other cultures. He focused in the 70s in the Eastern spirituality and made some great albums with his band Shanti, a mixture of Jazz and indian music. But before then, he dove into the electric music with his multinational band Mahavishnu Orchestra. Each founding member of the band came from a different country : USA, GB, Irland, the Netherlands and South Africa. The gathering of 5 such different lands made a new music, fresh and inovative, in between Jazz-Rock and Progressive music. In 1974, McLaughlin was left alone and made a new M.O. albums with other members and an orchestra (Apocalypse). After then, nothing sounded really like before and after a last 70 album, Inner Worlds, John dropped The Mahav to join the Shanti line up and follow his solo adventure.
In 1984, a very last album, simply named Mahavishnu was released but didn't have the grandeur and the identity the band had in the last decade.


Extracts :
Noonward Race

I Wonder




My Mahavishnu Orchestra Top :
1. The Lost Trident Sessions (1973, Ed. 1999)
2. Birds Of Fire (1971)
3. The Inner Mounting Flame (1970)
4. Visions Of The Emerald Beyond (1974)
5. Apocalypse (1974)
6. Inner Worlds (1975)
7. Mahavishnu (1984)
8. Adventures In Radioland (1987, Ed. 1993)


Saturday, January 17, 2009

SENSE FIELD (ABO #154)


SENSE FIELD
SIGHTS UNSEEN


Sense Field was an pop-rock/post-hardcore band from California that formed in 1991 out of the ashes of hardcore band, Reason to Believe. Sense Field has been largely credited with bringing the emo sound from hardcore punk circles to a more mainstream audience alongside contemporaries like Sunny Day Real Estate, Jimmy Eat World and Texas Is the Reason. Initially signed to Revelation Records, they were hotly pursued by the major labels, eventually signing to Warner Bros. Records. Unfortunately the band became mired in inner-label politicking and sat in limbo for five years as the label re-staffed multiple times. They were eventually released from their contract and won the right to re-record the album they'd written for Warner Bros. Records (originally titled "Under The Radar" and later renamed Tonight & Forever). The band then signed to Canadian independent label, Nettwerk, and saw a release in September 2001. Ironically, the band experienced their greatest success to date some 10 years after they began with the single "Save Yourself". Sense Field appeared on late night television shows such as The Tonight Show and The Late Late Show and saw the song place on numerous 2002 best of countdowns. The group quickly followed up the release with 2003's Living Outside, which saw minor airplay for the single "I Refuse". Sense Field disbanded in January 2004 at the culmination of a world tour in support of their fifth and final album. (Wikipedia)







Save Yourself


My Sense Field Top
1 - Building (1996)
2 - Tonight And Forever (2001)
3 - Killed For Less (1994)
4 - Living Outside (2003)
5 - Sense Field (1994)

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

MEDDLED IN THE CLOUDS (VAC#018)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
MEDDLED IN THE CLOUDS

Another step into the Pink Floyd covers project. For the same reason as on Ummagummore, nothing was really easy to bring all together a completed Obscured By Clouds album covered by other people. So I decided to put it on a bonus CD, so this Pink Floyd covers album is the first one to be a double-CD. Don't trust the number of tracks on the bonus CD, Monkey Gold, which is a live tune of a band called Somah (you'll find the complete concert on archives.org), is a bit of a medley of a Beatles' song (Everybody's Got Someting To Hide Except Me & My Monkey) and, of course, The Gold It's In The ... from you-know-who. This song is played in a typical Phish style and lasts at least 16 minutes !
For some reasons, I had to put two versions of Echoes. The first I chose finally is on the bonus CD. Indeed, this short accoustic version could have been the only one to be in there but I thought that many Echoes-maniacs would have burned me down if I did not put a closer version (Mostly Autumn's one). So I put both !

Extracts :
Electron : Fearless

The Kind Buds : Echoes







Tuesday, January 13, 2009

THE STOOGES (ABO #153)



THE STOOGES
IN MEMORIAM

The Stooges are an American rock band that were first active from 1967 to 1974, then reformed in 2003. The Stooges sold few records in their original incarnation and often performed for indifferent or hostile audiences. Nevertheless, The Stooges are widely regarded as instrumental in the rise of punk rock, as well as influential to alternative rock. Singer Iggy Pop and his often-outrageous onstage performances were frequently the main focus of attention. They reformed in 2003, with bassist Mike Watt replacing the deceased Dave Alexander. The Stooges have been nominated for possible 2009 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On January 6 2009, guitarist Ron Asheton was found dead from a heart attack in his Ann Arbor home.
This compilation is a tribute to Ron. R.I.P.



No Fun

Saturday, January 10, 2009

GERARD MANSET (ABO#152)

GERARD MANSET
L'HOMME SANS VISAGE
(1968-2008)

(understand 'The Man Without A Face')
The title of this compilation simply explains what and who is Gérard Manset : Since 1983, the man has completely vanished from television. As the Buggles sang it, Manset thinks that video killed the radio stars and that everything now relies on the image the artist displays.
Because of this quite unusual choice, Manset never reached the heights of the french charts but sometimes came pretty close thanks to a strong fan-base.
Quite the consistent kind, Manset never roamed quite far from his orginal music style allowing us to choose another order than the easy, and rather boring, chronological one. Transitions between old and new songs are not as shocking as they might be with other artists and the selection here displayed flows pretty well.
Probably travelin' around the world, his favourite occupation besides music, Manset saw his discographic career slow down a lot in the 90s but it seems that, lately, he is is back in business with albums released in 2002 (Le Langage Oublié), 2006 (Obok) and 2008 (Le Manitoba Ne Répond Plus).
As you might have guessed, Manset is an artist unlike others, one that deserves your attention even if, or maybe because, of the relative lack of media coverage. Enjoy "L'Homme Sans Visage".



Extracts :
Chaînes

Il Voyage En Solitaire





My Gérard Manset Top3 (or 4) :
1. La Mort D'Orion (1970)
2 ex-aequo. Comme Un Guerrier (1982)
2 ex-aequo. 2870 (1978)
4. Y A Une Route (1975)

My Gérard Manset Bottom3 :
1. Matrice (1989)
2. Prisonnier De L'Inutile (1985)
3. Revivre (1991)


Thursday, January 8, 2009

FUGAZI (ABO #151)


THIS IS NOT A
FUGAZI
COMPILATION

This is not a Fugazi compilation and, for sure, this is NOT punk. Fugazi, formed by various über-talented forces of the Washington D.C. scene were and possibly will be, if they ever come out of the actual hiatus they're on, the thing that comes AFTER punk failed to create anything but a loosy/angry dérivé of rock'n'roll. I dare not call it post-punk or post-hardcore as some may do, no, Fugazi is ART. Using the usual "weapons" of rock music, MacKaye, Picciotto, Lally and Canty created a world of their own where everything is possible.From his involvment in punk/hardcore legend Minor Threat, Ian MacKaye retained the urgency adding it a useful dose intellectualism. Guy Picciotto and Brendan Canty, both of Rites Of Spring's fame, brought their emotional post-hardcore aesthetics to the formation while Joe Lally, a relative new-comer, completed the formation with gusto and wit.
From their starting album (Repeater, 1990) to their, to this day, final declaration (The Argument, 2001) Fugazi have demonstrated that a band can evolve while still retaining the core of its original "message". The 7 (eight if you count the merging of their first two EPs in a long-player form) are all essential additions to any sensation-seeking music lover. Anyway, can you really go wrong with a band who's influence changed the sound of formations such as Blur or French rock heroes Noir Désir? I think not.
So... What I've tried with this selection is to capture the essence of the band in 80 minutes, not an easy task to achieve and I hope you'll enjoy it and then go to Dischord records and buy their albums.


Waiting Room


Argument



My FUGAZI Top:
1 - Argument (2001)
2 - Red Medecine (1995)
3 - End Hits (1998)

4 - In On The Killtaker (1993)
5 - Steady Diet Of Nothing (1991)
6 - Instrument Soundtrack (1999)

7 - Repeater (1990)
8 - 13 Songs (1989)

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

BRUCE DICKINSON (ABO #150)



BRUCE DICKINSON
SCREAM FOR ME!
(1990-2005)

Does Bruce "Air Raid Siren" Dickinson really needs an introduction? From his years of service in one of the biggest heavy metal franchise, Iron Maiden not to name them, he gained a fame very few heavy metal singers ever did. But the leader of the band was Steve Harris and, thus, too few experimentations were allowed to him. It resulted in his non-collaboration to Iron Maiden's 5th album, Somewhere In Time, and later to a first, but parallel to his Iron Maiden's involvment, solo album: Tattoeed Millionaire.
Finally, the frustration was too intense and he decided to leave the band and released his second and first "ambitious" solo album: Balls To Picasso (1994) which was followed by his more adventurous and less metal album with too little success to pursue the experience. 1996's Skunkworks isn't a bad album, it's just not what his audience (mainly Iron Maiden fans) expected from Bruce.
He then returned to what he did best: heavy metal! And, to this day, Accident Of Birth (1996) and Chemical Wedding (1998) remain two very solid opuses which could easily compete with what his previous band released at the time. Success was back but not as big as the one he used to have which caused him to come back to Iron Maiden in 2000 helping both his and his historic band's career to renew with a larger success.
That didn't stop him from wanting to have music of his own and, in 2005, he released what is, today, still his latest album: Tyranny Of Souls. This one doesn't match the quality of his previous releases but is still a solid metal effort featuring songs that could very well have been used with Harris & Co.
So, here's a compilation displaying what I think is the best of Bruce Dickinson's solo career. I also added some curiosities such as his very first demo recording. I hope you'll enjoy the selection and you'll want to dig a little deeper into Bruce's solo catalogue, it deserves it!




Tears Of A Dragon (1994)



The Tower (1998)



My BRUCE DICKINSON Top:
1 - Balls To Picasso (1994)
2 - The Chemical Wedding (1998)
3 - Accident Of Birth (1997
)
4 - Tattooed Millionaire (1990)
5 - Tyranny Of Souls (2005)

6 - Skunkworks (1996)