PETER TOSH (ABO#425)

PETER TOSH
NO SMOKE WITHOUT HIGHER
(1976-1988)

I first heard of Peter Tosh as a solo artist a dozen years ago. The fact is that I really don't like Reggae. A friend of mine had suggested me to give an ear to Peter Tosh's live album. Since then, I had the idea to discover this artist that may make me reconsider my opinion about Reggae music. At the beginning of making this Baistophe, I still didn't know nothing about Peter Tosh, even that he was a member of the Wailers... what a shame! And now that I have finished it, I'm aware of one thing : like many other very popular music, Reggae is not a bad one, just that too many musicians can't do it well because this is not just a rhythm section. Peter Tosh, like Bob Marley had the talent to work the melodies and, then, make this music listenable... more : enjoyable.


Extracts :


Bush Doctor
(from Bush Doctor, 1978)


Rastafara Is
(from Wanted : Dread Or Alive, 1981)

My Peter Tosh TOP :

1. Bush Doctor (1978)

2. Legalize It! (1976)

3. Mama Africa (1984)

4. Equal Rights (1977)

5. Wanted : Dread Or Alive (1981)

6. No Nuclear War (1987)

7. Mystic Man (1979)

THE POLICE (ABO#417)

THE POLICE
DEMOLITION MEN

It took me quite some time to finally do this one. The thing is, the Police don't have that many albums which - with the pre-existing compilations - kept me from doing this one before.

A few days ago, I was asked by a friend of mine to do a compilation that, while displaying most of the band's hits would also be an introduction to more obscure tracks in their repertoire.

Initially, I wanted not to include "Don't Stand So Close to Me" and "Every Breath You Take" but changed my mind when listening to said tunes. Others didn't have that chance, "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da", "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", "Spirits in the Material World" or "Wrapped Around Your Fingers" all got shafted.

Getting rid of those songs obviously opened slots for more surprising material such as the two instrumentals ("Reggatta de Blanc" and "Behind My Camel") or overlooked tracks such as "Driven to Tears", "Truth Hits Everybody", "Darkness" and a few more.

Also, I chose not to order the track-list in a chronological order which wasn't as easy as the Police have known quite a radical evolution throughout their short career. Anyway, I hope the transitions are as smooth as possible and that you'll enjoy how the whole disc unfolds.

A taste of what you'll get:



Driven to Tears
(from Zenyattà Mondatta, 1980)
An infectious funk number which, at the time, strayed from the "Reggae Pop Rock with a touch of Jazz" the Police had so talentfully crafted.



Synchronicity II
(from Synchronicity, 1983)
The closest the Police ever got to Progressive Rock, this exquisite track has a very nice Arena feel to it, no wonder it became one of the landmarks of the band's last two tours.



So Lonely
(from Outlandos d'Amour, 1978)
The Police still retained the nervousness of their punk roots on their debut album, So Lonely is just that: a great Reggae Rock number with just enough Punk energy to spice it up.

(all these samples are at 128kbps, the compilation is at 320kbps)

My THE POLICE list:
1 - Synchronicity (1983)
2 - Zenyattà Mondatta (1980)
3 - Outlandos d'Amour (1978)
4 - Ghost in the Machine (1981)
5 - Reggatta de Blanc (1979)

RIYL:
Talking Heads, Squeeze, XTC, Dada

BEN HARPER (ABO#245)

THE POWER OF

BEN HARPER

(1992-2009)

I won't be long by talking about Ben Harper because mostly everyone knows him, and that's a good thing. Just that, like anyone else, some of his songs are real masterpieces and are not very well known. Of course, Ground On Down (available live here) is one of his most popular songs and one of his best but other great tunes like The Power Of Gospel (really touching) and God Fearing Man (really outblowing!) are what he made the best. So it's one more reason to take an ear back to his whole carreer. You'll have understood : My favourite BH album is Fight For Your Mind, by far...

My Ben Harper TOP3 :

1- Fight For Your Mind (1995)

2- Burn To Shine (1999)

3- Welcome To The Cruel World (1993)

My Ben Harper BOTTOM3 :

1- There Will Be A LIght (w/ The Blind Boys Of Alabama) (2004)

2- Lifeline (2007)

3- Diamonds On The Inside (2003)

BERNARD LAVILLIERS (ABO#202)

BERNARD LAVILLIERS
UN CRI
(1967-2008)

Although he began his career in the late 60s, most of Lavilliers' best work were released in the 80s. After a long period of artistic hesitation, Lavilliers felt at ease when adopting a sound which mixed reggae, salsa, rock and chanson. Very discreet in the media, he however managed to gain a popularity such as he is still here, 40 years after his beginning! Looking to his repertoire and discography, you can guess that his higher artistic success and best-selling albums (between 1980 and 1988) cover a very short period but, after that, Bernard Lavilliers, thanks to a strong and faithful fanbase, kept on recording and touring with success.

Lavilliers "La salsa"
envoyé par MELMOTH

On the Road Again

My Bernard Lavilliers TOP3 :
1- O Gringo (1980)
2- Voleur De Feu (1986)
3- 15e Round (1977)

My Bernard Lavilliers BOTTOM3 :
1- Premiers Pas (1968)
2- Carnets De Bord (2004)
3- Clair Obscur (1997)

SHOW ME YOUR DARK SIDE (VAC#021)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
SHOW ME YOUR DARK SIDE

I know I was waited for that part of the Pink Floyd cover project and I know no mistakes and no bad taste would be accepted. I know I can be hanged by the balls for that audacious artwork, but that made me so laugh!
However, everyone know that Dark Side Of The Moon is one of the most tributed albums. This is just another one... So many tributes to the Dark Side but a lot are forgettable: I have to mention an A capella version, a Jazz version, a Reggae version, a (good) bluegrass version, a lounge version, a female voices version, and many more as a version sung by children. It would have been so easy to make such a tribute, but the problem is, the more popular an album is the more stupid covers you find. And when it's not a stupid version, it's a so similar one that it does not have any interest (I first think of the Dream Theater version). So Dark Side, contrarily to what anyone would have expected, including me, was the most difficult PF tribute to compile. And even if I would not like difficulties, I also wanted the tacks to crossfade as the original ones do. Very uneasy for such different versions. But I made the crossfades and it seems to work out very fine for what could be the first side (until Money). After that, the tracks are so different from one another that you may feel uncomfortable with some transitions. I must apologize for it.