Friday, May 25, 2018

J.J. Cale - To Tulsa And Back (2004)


Folk, Country, Rock | FLAC | 530 Mb

On his first studio outing in eight years, the mythical Okie troubadour turns in a solid set of his trademark dusty blues tunes. What is not so typical, as with Travel Log from 1990, is that Cale steeps himself in technology and evokes the moods and frameworks of music that intersect with the blues or stand in opposition to them. The keyboards, drum loops, and horns on this record are as pervasive as the guitars. Needless to say, this requires an attitude adjustment on the part of the listener. This is not to say there aren't plenty of live musicians here; there are. It's just that the sheeny beats and clean synth lines feel odd when juxtaposed against the murky lyrics and Cale's wispy, smoke-weathered voice. His stinging Stratocaster lead lines, spare and razor taut -- especially when ringed with distortion -- are plentiful, as are his tight-knit song constructions. Standouts on this set include the new West funk of "New Lover," the shuffling "New Step," the skittering "The Problem," the delightfully rambling "Fancy Dancer," the burning road-dog rock of "Motormouth," and the jazzy, gypsy swing in "These Blues." There are a couple of ballads on the set that are unconventional, as well, in "Homeless," and in the beautiful "Blues for Mama." There is even a Latin track on "Rio" that feels more like a merengue than a samba. The album closes with Cale playing a lone banjo on "Another Song," a mournful Appalachian ballad that feels like it comes from out of the heart of the Dust Bowl, it's full of ghosts and shadows and aches with the weight and displacement of longing as history. A fine effort.

1. My Gal (4:23)
2. Chains of Love (3:37)
3. New Lover (3:12)
4. One Step (3:20)
5. Stone River (3:42)
6. The Problem (4:31)
7. Homeless (3:25)
8. Fancy Dancer (4:50)
9. Rio (3:46)
10. These Blues (3:49)
11. Motormouth (3:17)
12. Blues for Mama (4:07)
13. Another Song (3:23)


pass: polarbear

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

J.J. Cale - Closer To You (1994)


Folk, Country, Rock | FLAC | 405 Mb

On the two albums that preceded CLOSER TO YOU, TRAVEL LOG and NUMBER 10, J.J. Cale adopted a more basic musical approach. This album continues the trend. Cale plays a few songs alone (though the overdubbed parts sound remarkably spare), including the title track. "Closer to You" finds him electronically treating his vocals, a technique that surprisingly makes him sound as down-to-earth as ever. The set ends with the hypnotically grooving instrumental "Steve's Song." The set is bolstered by two bass players (electric and acoustic), three percussionists (including Jim Keltner), three guitarists (including Cale), two keyboardists (Spooner Oldham and Bill Payne), and three horn players. With the dazzling CLOSER TO YOU, J.J. Cale finds ever-newer surprises in his own remarkable corner of the musical world.

1. Long Way Home (2:56)
2. Sho-Biz Blues (3:46)
3. Slower Baby (5:06)
4. Devil's Nurse (3:50)
5. Like You Used To (3:06)
6. Borrowed Time (4:17)
7. Rose In The Garden (3:05)
8. Brown Dirt (3:32)
9. Hard Love (4:25)
10. Ain't Love Funny (2:50)
11. Closer To You (2:52)
12. Steve's Song (4:02)


pass: polarbear

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Bobby Wills - In Comes The Night (2018)


Country | FLAC | 214 Mb

1. Ride Out The Rain (3:37)
2. Before I Knew Better (3:43)
3. A New Day (3:23)
4. Spend The Night (3:08)
5. Get While The Gettin's Good (3:29)
6. Out Of Your Mind (3:01)
7. In Comes The Night (3:38)
8. Out Of Your Mind (Radio Edit) (3:05)
9. Out Of Your Mind (Live) (2:57)


pass: polarbear

Saturday, May 19, 2018

VA - Southern Rock Uprising (2008)


Rock | Mp3 320 kbps | 154 Mb

1. Milestone - Ragged Lies (3:20)
2. Nashville Pussy - Nutbush City Limits (3:22)
3. Shooter Jennings - Slow Train (3:41)
4. Black Stone Cherry - Hell And High Water (4:03)
5. Old Union - Deadline (4:00)
6. Pride And Glory - Lovin Woman (3:49)
7. Blackfoot - Good Morning (5:46)
8. Santeria - Come On Baby (3:17)
9. Dixie Witch - Set The Speed (4:34)
10. Black Oak Arkansas - Hold Me Down (4:12)
11. Willie Stradlin - Living For The Weekend (4:00)
12. Down - On March The Saints (4:12)
13. Pig Iron - Golden (7:13)
14. Molly Hatchet - Fall Of The Peacemaker (5:06)
15. Draven - You Wont Taker Me Down Again (4:57)


pass: polarbear

Bob Dylan - Triplicate (2017)


Folk Rock | Mp3 320 kbps | 3 CD | 227 Mb

CD 1, 1. I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plans (2:26), 2. September of My Years (3:25), 3. I Could Have Told You (3:39), 4. Once Upon a Time (3:37), 5. Stormy Weather (3:05), 6. This Nearly Was Mine (2:48), 7. That Old Feeling (3:38), 8. It Gets Lonely Early (3:10), 9. My One and Only Love (3:23), 10. Trade Winds (2:36)

CD 2, 1. There's a Flaw in My Flue (2:41), 2. Braggin' (2:44), 3. As Time Goes By (3:22), 4. Imagination (2:34), 5. How Deep is the Ocean (3:23), 6. P.S. I Love You (4:17), 7. The Best Is Yet to Come (2:57), 8. But Beautiful (3:22), 9. Here's That Rainy Day (3:27), 10. Where Is the One (3:14)

CD 3, 1. Why Was I Born (2:49), 2. Day In, Day Out (3:01), 3. I Couldn't Sleep a Wink Last Night (3:15), 4. Sentimental Journey (3:11), 5. Somewhere Along the Way (3:18), 6. When the World Was Young (3:47), 7. These Foolish Things (4:11), 8. You Go to My Head (3:06), 9. Stardust (2:34), 10. It's Funny to Everyone but Me (2:38)


pass: polarbear

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Simon & Garfunkel - At Home 1964 ~ Chez Plus


Folk Rock | Mp3 320 kbps | 146 Mb

1. Anji (2:24), 2. Talking (2:09), 3. Leaves That Are Green (2:40), 4. Instrumental (3:11), 5. Patterns (4:08), 6. Instrumental (2:21), 7. Instrumental (1:09), 8. Instrumental (1:14), 9. Kathy's Song (3:33), 10. Waiting For Art (1:00), 11. Art Arrives (1:14), 12. Benedictus (with Art Garfunkel) (2:59), 13. Intro (0:56), 14. The Sound Of Silence (with Art Garfunkel) (2:05), 15. I Am A Rock (3:29), 16. Art On The Phone (2:55), 17. A Church Is Burning America The Beautiful (with Art Garfunkel) (3:54), 18. Going To The Zoo (with neighbor girl Debbie Epstein) (1:06), 19. Hasheveynu(Traditional) (1:52), 20. You'll Never Walk Alone (1:59), 21. I Believe (2:48), 22. Devoted to You (1:30), 23. Devoted to You (1:55), 24. All I Have To Do Is Dream (1:55), 25. That's My Story (3:16), 26. That's My Story 2 (1:32), 27. You'll Never Walk Alone (1:55)


pass: polarbear

Tuesday, May 1, 2018

The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main St. (1994)


Rock | Mp3 320 kbps | 161 Mb

Greeted with decidedly mixed reviews upon its original release, Exile on Main St. has become generally regarded as the Rolling Stones' finest album. Part of the reason why the record was initially greeted with hesitant reviews is that it takes a while to assimilate. A sprawling, weary double album encompassing rock & roll, blues, soul, and country, Exile doesn't try anything new on the surface, but the substance is new. Taking the bleakness that underpinned Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers to an extreme, Exile is a weary record, and not just lyrically. Jagger's vocals are buried in the mix, and the music is a series of dark, dense jams, with Keith Richards and Mick Taylor spinning off incredible riffs and solos. And the songs continue the breakthroughs of their three previous albums. No longer does their country sound forced or kitschy -- it's lived-in and complex, just like the group's forays into soul and gospel. While the songs, including the masterpieces "Rocks Off," "Tumbling Dice," "Torn and Frayed," "Happy," "Let It Loose," and "Shine a Light," are all terrific, they blend together, with only certain lyrics and guitar lines emerging from the murk. It's the kind of record that's gripping on the very first listen, but each subsequent listen reveals something new. Few other albums, let alone double albums, have been so rich and masterful as Exile on Main St., and it stands not only as one of the Stones' best records, but sets a remarkably high standard for all of hard rock.

1. Rocks Off (4:30), 2. Rip This Joint (2:22), 3. Shake Your Hips (2:57), 4. Casino Boogie (3:31), 5. Tumbling Dice (3:42), 6. Sweet Virginia (4:25), 7. Torn And Frayed (4:16), 8. Sweet Black Angel (2:52), 9. Loving Cup (4:21), 10. Happy (3:02), 11. Turd On The Run (2:34), 12. Ventilator Blues (3:24), 13. I Just Want To See His Face (2:51), 14. Let It Loose (5:16), 15. All Down The Line (3:47), 16. Stop Breaking Down (4:34), 17. Shine A Light (4:14), 18. Soul Survivor (3:47)


pass: polarbear

Pete Haycock - Guitar And Son (1987)


Instrumental Rock | Mp3 320 kbps | 110 Mb

1. Liberty (4:21), 2. Lucienne (3:41), 3. Spikes (3:47), 4. Terry Anne (5:50), 5. Dr. Brown I Presume (3:36), 6. The Claymore (3:39), 7. Down To Bay Six (3:47), 8. Rebecca (4:11), 9. The New York Stakes (5:18), 10. Follow That Frog (3:02)


pass: polarbear

Followers