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)

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)

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

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

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)

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)

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)

THE ONLY ONES (ABO #148)

THE ONLY ONES
ANOTHER BAND, ANOTHER PLANET

Led by the raffish and slightly scuzzy romance-obsessed Peter Perrett, the Only Ones were one of the punk era's most underrated bands. Not as confrontational as the Sex Pistols, as politically indulgent as the Clash, or as stripped-down as the Ramones, the Only Ones played not-so-fast guitar rock that sounded deeply indebted to the New York Dolls and other mid-'70s proto-punks. Singing his intelligently crafted pop songs in a semi-tuneful whine of a voice and backed by a band that effectively combined youthful exuberance with gracefully aging veterans (non-punk drummer Mike Kellie had done time with early-'70s clod-rockers Spooky Tooth, bassist Alan Mair was nearly 40), Perrett was an astute chronicler of the vagaries of modern, dysfunctional love. Despite a career that lasted from 1978-1981 and one certifiable "hit" song to their credit (the brilliant "Another Girl, Another Planet"), the Only Ones became the archetypal contenders that never broke big, despite assurances from fans and critics that they couldn't miss.
Although they split up in 1981 after only three records, the Only Ones, due in large part to "Another Girl, Another Planet," became more influential than one would have guessed. Listen to Paul Westerberg and you'll hear more than a little Peter Perrett (in fact, the Replacements covered "Another Girl"); look at the number of Only Ones releases over the past decade (a half-dozen at least) and you soon realize that a significant cult surrounding the band grew after their breakup. Ironically, it was the posthumous release of the sessions for John Peel's BBC show that, more than any of the proper studio releases, accurately displayed the muscle and smarts of this fine band. There have been many rumors surrounding Perrett's life after the Only Ones, many of them involving an alleged heroin addiction. Perrett did continue to record and release solo projects during the '80s, including a project known as the One in the mid-'90s.
The band reformed in 2007 following the band's biggest hit "Another Girl, Another Planet" being used in a Vodafone ad campaign in 2006. They completed a small UK tour in June 2007, more dates in 2008 and they're scheduled to release a brand new album in 2009. It is, thus, more than time to catch on this semi-obscure and underrated band with this introducive compilation "à la Baistophe".

Another Girl, Another Planet

PETER GABRIEL (ABO #147)

PETER GABRIEL
GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIER

Peter Gabriel... Well... Let me start by telling you this has been a hard one to make. I love Peter Gabriel and feel all his albums have much to offer. For example, listening to his first album (aka Car) made me want to pick almost every song on it which would have been silly, let's admit it. Therefore, tough choices had to be made and... God! Was it a hard!
What I wanted was to offer a rich panorama of the man's art using only his studio recordings (a trick I used so to limit the choice for this very compilation) and include a few rarities so to spice up the selection a bit. I hope I managed that and that you will enjoy the wide variety of emotions and sounds Mr. Gabriel has been able to create throughout his long (but not so) productive career. Anyway, here it is, give it a try and don't forget to tell me what you thought of it.

Here Comes The Flood

MY PETER GABRIEL TOP
1. 1 (Car)
2. So
3. 3 (Melt)
4. Up
5. 4 (Security)
6. Us
7. 2 (Scratch)

GUNS N' ROSES (ABO#146)

GUNS N' ROSES
14 YEARS OF SILENCE
(1986-2008)

Guns n' Roses are one of the last great (or the great last) old school hard rock bands (alongside with Great White and the Darkness). Surfing over the 70s revival wave in the early nineties to reach upon a huge success with their bilogy Use Your Illusion. Those who discovered them at that time must have been further in the past with their great first LP : Apetite For Destruction. After such a big success in 1991, Gn'R began to travel a long period of musical hesitation and too often line-up changes. Although a 'not so bad' album (The Spaghetty Incident) nothing ever helped lead singer Axl to pursue alone the adventure, while his old friend managed a great effort with the Velvet Revolver (even the name is a good wink to the former band).
At last, at the end of 2008, Axl made it : Chinese Democracy issued after a long work ...
This last album is the first to come out after 14 years of silence (if we don't count the singles in between).

Extracts :
Welcome To The Jungle

Get In The Ring

My Gn'R TOP:
1. Appetite For Destruction (1986)
2. Use Your Illusion II (1991)
3. Use Your Illusion I (1991)
4. The Spaghetti Incident (1993)
5. Gn'R Lies (1987)
6. Chinese Democracy (2008)