PIXIES (ABO#424)

PIXIES
INTO THE WHITE
(1986-1993)

The Pixies started out as a college band, releasing early material on a purple demo tape. Each album got a little bigger than the previous one but they disintegrated just as they were getting famous -- pulled into fame by groups inspired by them, citing them as an influence, notably David Bowie covered them and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain said "Smells Like Teen Spirit" had taken it's use of loud/quiet dynamics from The Pixies. There aren't any "bad" pixies albums, but rather ones you like more than others -- latter records are more polished, early stuff is more raw and Doolittle is the middle point where it all sort of meets together. This Baistophe is a little difficult to make because although the Pixies only put out 4 albums and 2 EPs, almost everything they did was excellent. Even their B-sides album only has one or two weak songs.
After Doolittle, tensions between Black Francis and Kim Deal brought the band to a hiatus, but they got back together to record a few more records before breaking up for good in 1990. They recently reformed and have toured, finally earning money they missed out on during the "grunge" or "alternative" hey-day due to their break-up.

-THE REAL ANONYMOUS-

Extracts :

Here Comes Your Man
(from Doolittle, 1989)


Gigantic
(from Surfer Rosa, 1988)

THE REAL ANONYMOUS' Pixies TOP3 :
1. Doolittle (1989)
2. Surfer Rosa (1988)
3. Come On Pilgrim (1987)

THE REAL ANONYMOUS' Pixies BOTTOM3 :
1. Bossanova (1990)
2. Trompe Le Monde (1991)
3. Complete B-Sides (2001)

CLIMAX BLUES BAND (ABO#422)

CLIMAX BLUES BAND
STANDING BY A RIVER
(1969-2003)

How funny things are. When I came to Baistophe there was plenty of great bands to compile. Some had already been done, some other are still not. Climax Blues Band was certainly one of those I really wanted to make for the simple reason that I only owned one album of theirs : FM-LIVE, a great live album that invited me to discover more from that forgotten band. For reasons completely unknown by anybody (especially me), I have never done such an exploration. So you may understand how happy I found myself to receive a mail from new part-time contributor GARY who was sending me this compilation. As it is becoming an habit (you may think it's a good one, or not) this is a 2CD compilation which second one can be considered like a bonus CD. The firt one is a simple CD compilation exploring the almost complete CBB discography. Not exactly complete because the very first album and the very last one is not included in it. I think that the very first CBB album is not particularily as enjoyable as the other, but I think that I will give it a listen to make my own opinion. The last one is more understandably put aside : this is an exclusively tribute to Willy Dixon. Some classical blues that does not really fit with the rockier songs they used to record. In the contrary, Rich Man is unarguably the best represented.
As I said earlier, the second CD can be considered like a bonus one. It's indeed a live CD consisting of only bootleg tracks. The sound is good from the beginning to the end at the exception of one track where there's a bit of saturation. Well, it's good first attempt from Gary on our dear blog.

I simply hope he won't damn me for having made my own artwork. His was good anyway but in a too low resolution. I couldn't find his pix on higher resolution so I made my own one, respecting the title he had chosen for this Baistophe...

Extracts :

Rich Man
(from Rich Man, 1972)


Couldn't Get It Right
(from Gold Plated, 1976)

PAUL McCARTNEY (ABO#418b)

PAUL McCARTNEY
SELECTED HITS
(1971-1993)

As said Burns in our previous post, Its something useless baistophing Mcca's Hits because they are so much known that there's no point doing that. It was also my opinion until I listened to what Burns sent me beside his Baistophe : his complete single-o-graphy. 50-or-so titles that weren't all very famous but quite a majority was indeed very popular.
In a first approach, I really didn't want to do that Baistophe because I felt that Paul's official best of Wingspan was a top one, even if it focused on his Wings carreer.
By the way, none of his latter singles were in it an I felt it was unfair not to mention any of it at all, to begin with C'mon People and Hope Of Deliverance which are songs I really like.
You will find no tracks from Band On The Run for two reason : the first one, the real one is that they are already on Burns compilation. The second one is that Band On The Run is a splendid album and you can buy it to complete this panorama

Extracts :

Mull Of Kintyre
(1977 single, included as a bonus track on 1993 reissue of London Town)
Simply because it is my absolute favorite Mcca's song. I love pipe bands too.

C'mon People
(1993 single, issue from the album Off The Ground)
That year Paul McCartney has issued two great singles and those two ones, included in that Baistophe are imho the best ones sice Mull Of Kintyre. That proves that he has never really lost his inspiration.

PAUL McCARTNEY (ABO#418a)

PAUL McCARTNEY
INCOGNITO
(1970-2007)

When Paul McCartney said in 1969 that he was leaving in the Beatles, there was no question that the band would no longer exist, but the group was so brilliant that it seemed obvious we would now have at least two great bands instead of one. What did we get from one of the greatest composers of the Twentieth Century? Mary Had A Little Lamb, We're So Sorry Uncle Albert and My Love whoa whoa whoa whoa. Paul had not been my favorite, but I knew he had written some very good songs in the past. As time went on, I became more disappointed. This year I decided that there weren't many Beatles left, and it was time to reconcile. I listened to all of the twenty-three studio albums from Wings and his solo rock career, ignoring the four classical works. I've also put aside his albums as The Fireman. I will tackle those at a later date. My goal was to produce a two disc Baistophe, and it was apparent that the studio albums would provide more than enough material and I would not be able to fit in anything from his seven concert albums. Because I disliked most of his hit songs, and because they are very well known and widely available on store shelves, I decided to leave those off the collection also. When It was done, I thought that only four of his albums were truly wretched and three of those were conceptual albums. The others could be counted on for at least one good song other than the hit single. I really liked six of them, and the rest fell somewhere in the middle. I am impressed with the songs that ended up in this Baistophe. McCartney is capable of equaling his former efforts but it seems that he only occasionally makes an effort. In my opinion, his work has improved greatly in the past ten years. Before I apply a rank to McCartney's albums, I will remove four of them from the running. Thrillington, Liverpool Sound Collage and Give My Regards To Broadstreet are concept albums and cannot be considered part of the canon. They are only for completists. Run Devil Run would be in my Top Three but for the fact that it is mostly covers of Fifties rock 'n' roll songs. I enjoyed it very much but it is unneccessary and listening to the originals would be a better use of your time.

Thanks to BURNS for having compiled this BAISTOPHE. This one is finally a 3CD set just because it deserves it... and I let BURNS say why :

"These are the three Paul McCartney discs that I made. My intention was to only make a two disc collection for Baistophe. It later was agreed on La Caverne d'Ali Baba that there should be three discs, with a third possibly containing concert recordings. I do not want to do that, but I had already made a third disc for myself that contained a few hits and what was left over from the Baistophe."

Extracts :

Little Willow
(from Flaming Pie, 1997)
It seems like an evidence that the recent edition of Bealtes' Anthology had taken Mcca in a nostalgical mood. This song must undoubtedly be compared with such beautiful songs like Julia

Run Devil Run
(from Run Devil Run, 1999)
The album is a full fifties' rock cover. This also might be considered like a tribute to Paul's early Beatles days.

Band On The Run
(from Band On The Run, 1973)
One of the only 3 hit singles included in this Baistophe is on of McCartney's best work : a 3-pieces tune recorded like a scenarized story. All 3 pieces are independantly great. The all 3 gathered are just excellent.

BURNS' Mcca Bottom 3 :
1. Wings At The Speed Of Sound (1976)
2. McCartney II (1980)
3. Flowers In The Dirt (1989)

BURNS' Mcca Top 3 :
1. Ram (1971)
2. Band On The Run (1973)
3. Driving Rain (2001)

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

FOREIGNER (ABO#414)

FOREIGNER
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME

I don't like Foreigner. Never did, never will. Actually, I consider their huge success to be kind of a fraud. Strange as it is for me to claim my relative dislike of the band’s music and still do a compilation of their finest tracks, I sure can appreciate the entertaining value of some of their songs, especially those from their first four albums. And, in the "cheese" department, Say You Will and I Want To Know What Love Is (repectively from Inside Information and Agent Provocateur, both terrible albums by the way), are worth a ton of your finest Philadelphia.
In order to complete the task of making a worthy selection, I listened to the whole of their studio discography and, trust me, it was sometimes painful. What I came up with, in the end, is this 20 songs compilation with an evident focus on Foreigner's early material. I chose not to put the songs in a chronological order to create kind of an "album-feel" to it. Also, I hope you'll like the humorous artwork... I just couldn't resist it.
Anyway, here “Feels Like the First Time”, I hope you’ll like it.

Related if you like
Boston, Journey, Styx

GARY MOORE (ABO#413)

THE
GARY MOORE
ANTHOLOGY

It's a mammoth of a baistophe I'm delivering today. Actually, it's a lot more than just the finest tracks of an artist as it takes us through Gary Moore's entire career starting with his "Cream", Irish Psychedelic-Blues Rockers Skid Row. From there, I considered every album Gary Moore ever laid his divine axe or his soulful vocals on.
And here it is! Six CDs worth of blues, hard rock, fusion, progressive rock… and more! To tell you the truth, I was rather surprised as how varied and good Gary Moore career had been. Obviously, I knew of his participation to Irish legends Thin Lizzy, and so did I know about his progressive/fusion endeavors with Colosseum II. Also, I was no stranger to both his Hair Metal and Blues Rock career. I even had the chance to see him live twice: first supporting the “Still Got the Blues” album, then with Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker promoting their BBM album. Both concerts had been memorable experiences with Mr. Moore shining as the true Guitar Hero he was. Alas, his (failed) return to commercial music of the late 90’s and early 00’s (with “Dark Days in Paradise” and “A Different Beat”), made me lose sight of his music. Like I said, I knew almost every trick up Gary's sleeve but, considering it as a whole, it's amazing what the man has achieved. And so, naturally, I have been utterly shocked by the news of his death and decided it was time to pay the man tribute on this very blog.
I hope you’ll appreciate the work I’ve put into this Gary Moore Anthology and that it’ll lead you to want to know more about each and every step this dearly missed musician has taken on the Stairway to Heaven.
We miss you Gary. R.I.P.

RARE EARTH (ABO#412)

RARE EARTH

PROTECT AND SURVIVE

(1967-2008)

Known as the only white band signed on legendary Motown Records label, Rare Earth remains the band with the one hit single. And what a hit! Get Ready! The band however recorded a non-negligible number of albums that are far from a crapy collection of forgettable songs. Almost until the end of their first "life", Rare Earth brought some (hard-)rock in their funky soul (or some soul in their rock). As an evidence, the 80s weren't in a funky-soul mood at all and the band broke up after nothing less than 12 studio albums. After that, some reunions were programmed here and there, like the widely forgettable live album "Made In Switzerland" and two much appreciated studio albums : Different World (1993) and Brave New World (2008). But the heart of Rare Earth live in the 70s, that's for sure.

note : some songs are nothing but vinyl rip. If you have any better versions, feel free to send us and we'll update the link

Rare earth-get ready
envoyé par thesnike. - Regardez la dernière sélection musicale.

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SURVIVOR (ABO#411)

SURVIVOR
TREE OF LIFE

What is commercial music? Is it still art when it's meant to be sold on huge scales? That question has been a debate among art (and music) lovers since...Forever!
Shame is, some bands with real tallent, such as Survivor, have been mocked because of their radio-friendly vision of (hard) rock. Still, the riffs are good, the melodies hook you on. Surely, bad music (art) cannot do this. Or can it?...
Anyway, here's an 18 tracks selection of a band primarly know for his participation in two "Rocky" pictures with "Eye of the Tiger" and "Burning Heart". Those were good songs and have been included here along with songs from each of their 8 studio albums.
Be curious, give Survivor a try. You might end up surprised by how good this music is.

RIYL:
Styx, Boston, Journey, Foreigner, Honeymoon Suite

THE BEATLES (ABO#409)

THE BEATLES
more!

When [GEMY] posted his "Green Beatles" a few weeks ago, I was amazed at his amazing artwork (& booklet!) but felt quite uneasy about certain songs being left aside.
And, as I've recently acquired the remastered Beatles in Mono boxset, I started making my own selection without ever thinking I was making a "baistophe".
When I finished my complementary selection I timed it and soon realized it was 46 songs and 135 minutes long compilation. Which also means that, while [GEMY] took the stereo option, my selection is mostly mono mixes.
I'm afraid my artwork is quite not as bombastic as [Gemy]'s, I hope you'll like it anyway.

My 5 favourite Beatles songs
1 - A Day in the Life
2 - Strawberry Fields Forever
3 - Come Together
4 - I Am the Walrus
5 - Eleonor Rigby

My 5 favourite Beatles albums
1 - Abbey Road
2 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club band
3 - The Beatles (White Album)
4 - Revolver
5 - Magical Mystery Tour

riyl:
Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, George Harrison!

NO SAMPLE FOR THIS ONE, FELLOWS!

THE NAME OF THE BAND SHOULD SUFFICE.

GOV'T MULE (ABO#408a)

GOV'T MULE

FROM THE ARCHIVES

(1995-2010)

This project is a long awaited Baistophe on our list.

I have discovered Gov't Mule back in 1999 when a friend of mine, record seller told me of them. He sold me their Live with the little help from our friends CD and I was really impressed that that kind of music was still played at that time. I didn't even know Haynes was one of the major member of the Allman Brothers Band. I wasn't surprised to know that because the spirit of both bands are similar to each other. However, Mule's one is harder, heavier ... and maybe more soulful.

What is notable in Gov't Mule is their capacity to cover other songs but in their own language. You'll find some on that Baistophe but many many more exist. If are well-behaved, maybe you'll get a surprise soon. ;-)

The best album : Dose (1998) I think few people will disagree with me when I say that the best studio era for the Mule lasts until their 2003 Deepest End ablum. After that, the albums are not very worse but are less surprising when you know the band (excepted one album, see third column). In my opinion, Mule's best is Dose simply because it has got lots and lots of great tunes so that, compared with other albums, I had too much songs from it on my first choice list for this Baistophe.

The album that will make you admire them : Live, With The Little Help From Our Friends (1999) Recorded during a New Year's Eve show, in the same tradition of the Grateful Dead, this live album (4CDs !) will outblow you by the quality of the songs, the performance and covers chosen (Jimi Hendrix, Free, Neil Young, Frank Zappa, ...) If you don't like this show, no doubt you're not ready to assist any of the Mules'

The worst album Mighty High (2006) When I tolf on the first column that Gov't Mule did not really surprise anymore in the second part of theur carreer, I remembered that there was an album that contradicted this. With Mighty High, Gov't Mule went another way and made a reggae oriented album. That's not that I dislike reggae (even if ...) but this album is pretty boring. Gov't Mule has not really assimilated the reggae spirit. The only song I kept was the first one and is the only one that is not a reggae song. If you want a reggae album, try a real jamaican band first.

The best live album : Live At Roseland Ballroom (1996) That's not because it is their first live album that this is my favourite one. My choice was for this one because I found that the performance was more instinctive, more aventurous, more psychedelic maybe... The album opens with Trane which is a masterpiece and includes in this version, winks to bands like Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Grateful Dead... The album is short compared with its followers but is much more dense. I think it is the best way to blow your mind

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