A kaleidoscope of harmony vocals - as Crosby, Stills and Nash might have sounded with a funky back beat. Delicate acoustic fingerpicking, warmed by a swell of brass before a drama of electric unfolds. Guitar band music, delivered with the sensibilities of someone who knows how to make you dance. Sun-kissed blue-eyed soul, reminiscent of Ned Doheny, but emanating from a beach far from California.
These are the sounds of Jim, as heard on debut album 'Love Makes Magic'.
Debuting in 2021 on the folk-informed 'Falling That You Know' EP, Jim is the latest alias of songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and renowned DJ Jim Baron. Famed as co-founder and musical director of festival-stunning favourites Crazy P, his latest Jim project is a musical journey unlike anything he has done before.
quête:ali b
- A1: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 1)
- A2: The Witch
- A3: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 2)
- A4: Song For Wilde
- A5: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 3)
- A6: Roses For Columbus
- A7: A Norman Soldier
- A8: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 4)
- B1: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 5)
- B2: Lute And Flute
- B3: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 6)
- B4: Down Narrow Streets
- B5: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 7)
- B6: Mandolin Man
- B7: Dreaming With Alice (Verse 8)
- B8: Rehtorb Ym No Hcram
The definitive reissue of one of rock’s rarest and most sought-after albums – “acid-folk” – equal parts pastoral folk and contemplative psychedelic. The rst time since 1971 that this album has been pressed from the original master tapes, recently discovered in Italy. Lacquered directly from tape in an all-analog transfer by Bernie Grundman. This is the single LP version that we issued after the Now-Again Reserve Edition sold out. Mark Fry was 19 – recently graduated from high school and in Italy studying painting – when he walked barefooted into RCA’s Italian subsidiary, played some songs he’d written on his guitar and was signed to record the album that would become legend. The first recordings he made proved stuff, so he was paired with members of the Scottish band Middle of the Road, who were in Rome while under contract to RCA Italiana. Convening in a basement home studio with two 4-track reel-to-reel record- ers, Mark’s visions coalesced in a dreamy, airy manner – “Nick Drake meets Dr. Strangely Strange with a touch of Lewis Carroll” The Word Magazine would later write. Pressed in small amounts for Vincenzo Micocci’s RCA sub-label It, Alice remained an out of reach masterpiece for many but its creator, who returned to England in 1971 and subsequently traveled the world, playing music, sometimes recording and painting. By the time of its rediscovery, its master tapes were assumed lost. Their rediscovery allows this pristine transfer to reveal nuances not heard on anything but original It pressings.
- Intro
- Deliver Us From Evil
- Winter Tears
- Child Of The Damned
- Penny For A Poor Man
- Black Mass
- Mrs. Victoria
- Lost And Lonely Days
- Aliens
- City Walls Of Troy
- Kill Zone
- War In Heaven
- Winds Of Thor
- Lucifer's Hammer
- Achilles Revenge
- Lost And Lonely Days (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Aliens (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Soliloquy (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Night Of The Fury Giles Lavery Vocal Demo 2012)
- Father (Tour Rehearsal)
- Glory (Tour Rehearsal)
- Soliloquy (Tour Rehearsal)
- Kill Zone (Instrumental Demo)
- Night O The Fury (Instrumental Demo)
- Glory (1995 Instrumental Demo)
- 70,000 Sorrows (1997 Instrumental Demo)
- The Holy Empire (1997 Instrumental Demo)
black vinyl[22,90 €]
High Roller Records, reissue 2023, blue jay/ white splatter vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, poster, insert, mastered and partially restored by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony
- Intro
- Deliver Us From Evil
- Winter Tears
- Child Of The Damned
- Penny For A Poor Man
- Black Mass
- Mrs. Victoria
- Lost And Lonely Days
- Aliens
- City Walls Of Troy
- Kill Zone
- War In Heaven
- Winds Of Thor
- Lucifer's Hammer
- Achilles Revenge
- Lost And Lonely Days (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Aliens (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Soliloquy (Live 'Keep It True' 2013)
- Night Of The Fury Giles Lavery Vocal Demo 2012)
- Father (Tour Rehearsal)
- Glory (Tour Rehearsal)
- Soliloquy (Tour Rehearsal)
- Kill Zone (Instrumental Demo)
- Night O The Fury (Instrumental Demo)
- Glory (1995 Instrumental Demo)
- 70,000 Sorrows (1997 Instrumental Demo)
- The Holy Empire (1997 Instrumental Demo)
splattered vinyl[24,83 €]
High Roller Records, reissue 2023, black vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover with 5mm spine, poster, insert, mastered and partially restored by Patrick W. Engel at Temple of Disharmony
Nicholas Allbrook is a Western Australian native and a highly-accomplished Australian songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Since the beginning of his artistic career in 2005, Allbrook has brought community and collaboration to the forefront of his artistic method. Whether it was in the poignant lyricism of his solo musical endeavors (Ganough, Wallis and Fatuna/Wabi-Sabi) or in the production style of his band POND's latest album '9', Allbrook shows a deep understanding of the human experience and the importance of art in modern society. He has collaborated with Australian and international musicians alike, from King Krule to Cat Le Bon, Holy Fuck and Cuco. Emotional, geological, psycho-geographical: this is the terrain of Manganese, Allbrook's fourth album away from Pond life. A psyche-pop wonderland, Allbrook's new solo album is the sound of a musician with a symphony in his back pocket, the Eighties history of Oz-rock in his rearview mirror and modern Australia in his sights.
Assured UK house producer Andy Ash takes care of the next EP on SAFTX while the equally esteemed Mark E steps up to remix.
For well over a decade now, Andy Ash has been turning out high-quality house music on a range of labels. Last year he served up a tasteful full-length on Quintessentials, the year before he dropped a double 12" on Still Music and he is also a regular at the likes of Delusions Of Grandeur. From deep and dusty to disco-tinged and dynamic, he has a stylish sound that is well-versed in the classics but always his own twist. He shows that again here with four fresh tunes which cannot fail to make you feel good.
Opener 'You:Me' features Faber and os brilliantly warm house groove. The drums and hi-hats are prefectly designed, the vamping chords bring a playful funk and swirling pads add diffuse late-night energy. It's timeless cut with nods to the US midwest and subtle vocal sounds.
Remixer and Merc label boss Mark E has a rich history of edits and originals on the likes of Running Back, Delusions Of Grandeur and Studio Barnhus. On this version, he lays down hazy, heavy kicks for a beatdown workout that comes alive with gorgeous synt work akin to all the best Detroit dons.
Ash's 'Momentary Days' is a slow and roomy, dubbed-out house swinger. Well-placed samples - vocal coos, guitar riffs, jazzy chords - all peel off the loose drums and can't fail to get you moving. 'Reach' is another humid house cut for cosy back rooms and basements. The Scruffy drums have frayed edges while dreamy melodies loop up top. It's a heartfelt sound that slowly turns you to deep inward reflection.
Last of all is 'Rico! Rico!', a downtempo jazz-funk jam with crisp broken beats, keys that take you to the Riviera and strings so lush you can almost feel the sun on your face.
This deep house music as it should be - raw, expressive and full of human soul.
Deepening the comic tones using cosmic relief, and lively vibes, La Science des Imbéciles (Ludicrous System), Brigitte Barbu’s sophomore sonic adventure, manifest a blurry creation intersecting orbital audio paths and damaged smoking instruments. Could have easily been called Birdless Science but it wouldn’t be funny…
eid bereit für die unbesiegbaren Schweizer Hardrock-Legenden SHAKRA! Nach dem Erfolg ihres letzten Albums "Mad World" musste die Band einen plötzlichen Stillstand in der Welt hinnehmen. Doch davon ließen sie sich nicht aufhalten. Stattdessen steckten sie ihre Energie in die Entwicklung ihres neuesten Albums "Invincible". Mit Thom Blunier an der Leadgitarre und Mark Fox' gefühlvoller Stimme liefert das Album einen ausgefeilten und definierten Sound, der SHAKRA von ihrer besten Seite zeigt.
Mit "Invincible" beweist SHAKRA, dass sie noch lange nicht am Ende sind. Fans von Hard Rock und klassischem Metal werden von dieser neuen Veröffentlichung nicht enttäuscht sein. Das Album erscheint am 09. Juni 2023 und wird als Digipak und farbige 2-Vinyl-Edition erhältlich sein. Lasst euch diese epische Veröffentlichung einer der bekanntesten Schweizer Bands nicht entgehen!
The formidable Rex The Dog returns with his first single for Kompakt in three years, “Change This Pain For Ecstasy”, a slow-burning disco-glitter stomp that’s charged with analog energy. Pushing his self-built modular hardware set-up to its limits, “Change This Pain For Ecstasy” is taut and thrilling, stripped-back and pulsating, with sweeping chords shimmering through a classic Moroder arpeggio, as a delirious voice sings out a psychedelic raver’s plaint for liberation, pleading for you to "take away my sorrow and this pain”. Deeply emotional, it’s also a masterwork in tension and release, dizzy with snare-rush peaks, and dark, humid valleys where Rex is bound to the patchbay.
On the flipside, Rex gives us “Moto”, which tickles your ear with cymatic phenomena, its gentle vibrations building, beautifully, into a monster-piece of stealth techno. Rex’s DIY synths work overtime as he chases patterns and phases through circuitry, wielding the tones until they erupt into a spray of pointillist pizzicato. The sounds here crackle and corrode, the textures so tantalizing, so sensual, you can almost grab hold of them with your hands. It’s great to have Rex The Dog back, making livewire, yet deeply human techno, alive and bursting with electricity.
Der formidable Rex The Dog kehrt mit seiner ersten Single für Kompakt seit drei Jahren zurück, “Change This Pain For Ecstasy”, ein mit analoger Energie aufgeladener, stürmischer Disco-Glitter-Stomper. Man kann förmlich spüren, wie Rex’ selbstgebautes modulares Hardware-Setup an seine Grenzen gerät. “Change This Pain For Ecstasy” ist eine Hymne an das Nachtleben, an die kathartische Qualität einer durchtanzten Nacht. Über schwungvolle Akkorde und ein hochenergetisches Moroder-Arpeggio bittet eine delirierende Stimme um Befreiung von allem Leid und Schmerz. Das ist zutiefst rührend und emotional – da es sich hier aber um ein Meisterwerk der Spannung und Entspannung handelt – schwingt sich der Track plötzlich auf in schwindelerregende Höhen der Euphorie.
Auf der anderen Seite gibt Rex uns “Moto”, das das Ohr mit zymatischen Phänomenen kitzelt, deren sanften Vibrationen sich zu einem Monster von Stealth-Technotrack aufbauen. Rex’ DIY-Synthesizer machen Überstunden, während er Muster und Phasen durch die Schaltkreise jagt bis sie in einen Sprühregen aus pointillistischem Pizzicato ausbrechen. Die Sounds hier knistern und korrodieren, die Texturen so verlockend, so sinnlich, dass man sie fast mit den Händen greifen kann.
Es ist großartig, Rex The Dog zurück zu haben, der hochverdrahteten und doch zutiefst menschlichen Techno macht, voller Leben und Elektrizität.
Teesy (Künstlername für Toni Mudrack) musste sich immer öfter Zweifeln stellen, hat die Freude am Musikmachen verloren - Doch irgendwann platzt der Knoten und er nimmt die Studioarbeit wieder auf. »Das war ein Gefühl wie früher. Eine Leichtigkeit, die ich sehr lange nicht mehr gespürt habe.« Die neue Motivation zeigt sich nicht nur im Texten, sondern auch in der Musik selbst. Er spielt Drums, Klavier, Gitarren und Bässe selbst ein. Keine Libraries, Loops. Kein Copy'n'Paste. Stattdessen handgemacht von vorne bis hinten, wie aus einem Guss. Eben richtige Songs. Mit Dynamik und Struktur. Keine Zweifel, keine Ängste. Wenig Kopf, stattdessen viel Bauch und noch mehr Herz. Teesy ist eben doch Kein Künstler.
‘Deep Blue Dreams’ ist das Debütalbum des in Berlin lebenden, 26jährigen Musikers, Sängers und Produzenten Lucas Herweg alias LLUCID. Inspiriert von Vorbildern wie Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Frank Ocean oder Ty Dolla $ign, lässt LLUCID jegliche Grenzen zwischen Rap und R&B konsequent verwischen. Die 12 Songs stehen fernab aller Stil- und Genreschubladen und liefern Banger zwischen Rap und Trap, sanfte Soundwellen mit exquisiten Beats und traurigem Autotune, hymnisch-sakralen Hip-Hop und ein ungewöhnliches Duo mit der britischen Sängerin Kimbra, die mit ‘A Reckoning‘ bereits eines der Alben des Jahres veröffentlichte. Nach Kollaborationen mit Samy Deluxe, Hundreds und Wallis Bird und der ersten 6-Track-EP ‘Getting In Touch’ im Frühjahr 2022 auf Grönland pusht LLUCID jetzt konsequent sein Solowerk.
After an 8 year hiatus, Youth Lagoon return with their 4th album, 'Heaven Is a Junkyard'
Nach über 40 Millionen Streams war Oceans Ate Alaska bereit, ihr neues Album Disparity zu veröffentlichen.
Inspiriert durch die gemeinsame Vorliebe für Bonobo und Alina Baraz, veredelte Kollaborateur Clem Cherry die Produktion mit luftigem Beat-Handwerk und eindringlichen Klangakzenten. ”Für uns geht es darum,
die Hörer zu erheben”, sagt Harrison. ”Wir wollen, dass sie sich ermächtigt fühlen und erkennen, dass sie die Veränderung sein können, die sie wollen. Das ist es, was wir immer noch tun. Es ist schon lange her, dass wir ein Album herausgebracht haben, aber wir sind noch da.
DMX Krew unearths the lost Cold War LP.
Created for 1983. Created in 2003. Released in 2023. In mistrust and blindness mankind wages a COLD WAR, East against West in a spiraling cycle of mindless escalation. For 40 years the madness continues until it reaches its inevitable climax, NUCLEAR WAR.
Armageddon is achieved at the push of a button, millions of lives are destroyed. Those who are spared struggle for survival in the bleak conditions of NUCLEAR WINTER.
Acid rain destroys the landscape, darkness falls across the face of the
earth and hope is lost as the population falls prey to radiation sickness and cancer. Deep underground, the last survivor works feverishly in his isolated laboratory. A lone scientist attempting desperately to save mankind, he uses occult technology and deep-frozen human tissue to create a group of 12 radiation-resistant HUMAN CLONES.
They set forth to rebuild and repopulate the planet, whilst the scientist continues his work to improve and strengthen mankind. He develops a technique to fuse his own living flesh with the transistorized mind of a supercomputer, transforming himself into FUTURE MAN. Synergy of man and machine. Having transcended his mortal condition, he is now deemed ready to meet THE ELOHIM, a race of super-evolved aliens who created mankind 40000 years ago and have been watching and waiting ever since for the day when man at last becomes enlightened.
They descend from the heavens in their storship telling Future Man to
rejoice, for the trials of mankind are over and they sing to him of their long wait and THE GOLDEN AGE which is about to begin. Future Mom and the Clones are taken on board the spacecraft whereupon the Elohim transport them through the STAR GATE to a planet paradise where they are able to live in peace and happiness and once again become prosperous and many.
Nachdem seine intime Underplay-Show-Tour „SHHH“ im März binnen Sekunden ausverkauft war, kündigt Archy Marshall sein mittlerweile viertes Studioalbum „Space Heavy“ als King Krule an. Erscheinen wird es am 9. Juni bei XL Recordings. Zehn Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung seines umjubelten Debütalbums „6 Feet Beneath the Moon“ zeigen die 15 neuen Songs den britischen Songwriter auf der Höhe seines Schaffens.
Entstanden ist das Album zwischen 2020 und 2022, als Archy Marshall sowohl London als auch Liverpool seine Heimat nannte und viel Zeit auf den Reisen von einem zum anderen Ort verbrachte. Während diesen Trips entstand seine Faszination für „the space between“, wie er es nennt: die Orte, die von Träumen voller Liebe verfolgt werden, während sich Archy in seinen Texten mit persönlichen Verlusten befasst. Nachdem die Texte fertig waren, entstand die Musik gemeinsam mit dem Produzenten Dilip Harris sowie seiner langjährigen Band, bestehend aus Ignacio Salvadores (Saxophone), George Bass (Schlagzeug), James Wilson (Bass) und Jack Towell (Gitarre).
In den 15 Songs von „Space Heavy“ verbinden sich viele Elemente seiner bisherigen Karriere mit dem klanglichen Kosmos, der ihm das Attribut als eine der Stimmen seiner Generation einbrachte. Die dichten Lyrics seines Debüts, die Verschiebung seines Sounds bei „The OOZ“ (2017), die Ursprünglichkeit von „Man Alive!“ und die rohe Verletzlichkeit, die er auf „You Heat Me Up, You Cool Me Down“ zeigte, fließen in den Sound seines neuen Albums ein.
Mit der Albumankündigung erscheint die erste Single „Seaforth“ mitsamt Video, bei dem seine regelmäßige Kollaborateurin und Visual Artist Jocelyn Anquetil Regie geführt hat.
- A1: Cattaneo - Il Raggio (Feat Hamid Shahsavan)
- A2: Giovanni Battagliola – Askja
- A3: Alessandro ‘Petrol’ Pedretti – Paline
- A4: Kick - New Try
- A5: Luca Formentini – Fili
- B1: Eke - Draft Junk (Live Cut)
- B2: Maniscalco - Canicola
- B3: Materie – Landscapes
- B4: Chris Benoit – Brokenspiel
- B5: Corrado Saija & Giorgio Presti - Hypster Calling
A sonic love letter to Italy’s 2023 Capital of Culture, Brescia-Bergamo. Harnessing a creativity and energy without genre, boundaries or filters, Rebirth blends together independent musical paths, which were valid but otherwise fragmented, into a collective and identity project called 'Brixia Sonora' - a tribute to the Brescian music scene in its many facets and declinations.
An image of a city and its atmosphere. A photograph that may be imperfect, potentially blurry, yet alive and authentic. Pulsating. Incorporating multiple inspirations and influences: noise, minimalism, breaking the mold; weaves and beats, polyrhythm and polymetry, glitch music and organic music; and yet electronic fractals, jazz effusions, house beats, Balearic sunsets, post-metropolitan downtempo, other forms of rock. A cocktail of hybridizations that, under the direction of Rebirth, finds a balance on the edge of the unexpected, despite its diversity, infinite facets, and multiple identities.
Exploring the musical landscapes of the protagonists: Giovanni Battagliola, Paolo Cattaneo, Chris Benoit, Eke, Luca Formentini, Kick, Alessandro Pedretti, Corrado Saija e Giorgio Presti, Maniscalco, Materie, Matteo Gamba, Mattia Fontana. Solo projects, bands, collectives, DJs, and producers - a crossroads of generations and multitudes within which everyone has carved out their own space. 'Brixia Sonora' symbolizes a period of dialogue and exchange - from exchanging ideas to sharing passions, syncopated beats and new impulses, leading to the evolution of what is yet to come.
You heard them first on Brown Acid “The Thirteenth Trip”. We are very excited to present to you the full unreleased recordings from this amazing band from Detroit. Master Danse was formed in late 1973 in Detroit, Michigan when drummer Tom Riss and bassist Cary Fletcher, formerly of the Detroit band Licking Stick, went looking for a new guitarist/lead vocalist and jammed with John Giaier, who had most recently played in the band Crawdad. The three musicians hit it off immediately, and a new power hard rock trio was born. In 1973, Detroit was clearly “Rock City”, featuring such local icons as Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk Railroad, Ted Nugent, and Mitch Ryder, and the high energy punch of Master Danse reflected this proud heritage. Unfortunately, this union would only last one year, and by the end of 1974 the power rock trio known as Master Danse had disbanded. What was left for posterity were only two live reel to reel recordings and one promo 45 single. Some forty-seven years later, the 45 found its way onto the internet and a small cult following of audiophiles was born, people who appreciate the raw power and high energy of early ‘70s rock. Bands like Master Danse and others from this era were riding the wave of transition from the pop rock sound of the ‘60s to an edgier sound that would eventually lead to metal and punk music. With the help of modern-day tape restoration techniques, the two live recordings were restored, and together with the 45, the best versions of the eight songs that have survived the decades are featured on this album. Although recorded live forty-eight years ago on a two-track stereo tape recorder, you can still feel the power of Giaier’s Marshall stack, Fletcher’s twin Acoustic 360 amps, and the relentless attack of Riss’ Ludwig drums. So, sit back and enjoy. Rock on!
Returning after three years, the husband and wife duo of Alexi Erenkov and Alison Alderdiceaka. The Saxophones have announced the arrival of their third album, To Be A Cloud, for 2nd June 2023. Out today is the first single to be taken from it, Desert Flower, featuring a video directed by Rainbow Tunnel. "Alison wants me to try therapy, "says Alexi. “She’s a therapist herself, but I’ve never been to one. The idea of going makes me very uncomfortable. I don’t like being vulnerable in front of strangers. So, instead of confronting my discomfort, I look for an easier path. It’s never easier and it’s always unsatisfying or destructive. “Desert Flower” is about avoidance and fear impeding personal growth and the deepening of relationships. The album itself was recorded at Phil Elverum’s (The Microphones, Mount Eerie) Unknown Studio in Anacortes, WA last autumn. A former Catholic church where the pair lived during 24/7 recording sessions, time was no object as they experimented and developed the sound of the record. Its magical setting and ample space provided natural acoustics for Alexi’s arresting vocals which were recorded live to 24-track tape, suspending them in an ambiguous historical and chronological context between analogue and digital. Enhanced by Alison’s percussion alongside the bass and keys of Richard Laws, together they made the most of the studio’s many instruments which fill out and bookend their exploration of the billions of years of evolution that have led to this moment in time.
Red Vinyl[31,30 €]
Einer der legendärsten und erfolgreichsten Acts der britischen Musikgeschichte präsentiert endlich alle seine Hits auf einer umfangreichen, brandneuen Compilation auf CD und Vinyl. Natürlich inkl. 'I'm Too Sexy', 'Deeply Dippy', 'Don't Talk Just Kiss' und viele mehr.
FRED-FAKTEN:
Die Musik der Band ist durch Dancefloor-Rhythmen und anzügliche Texte gekennzeichnet. Gleich die erste Single 'I’m Too Sexy' ging 1991 durch die Decke und verkaufte sich weltweit etwa drei Millionen Mal. In Großbritannien kletterte der Song bis auf # 2 der Charts, in den USA bis auf # 1. Damit schrieben Right Said Fred Musikgeschichte, denn seit den Beatles war es keiner britischen Band gelungen, drei Wochen in Folge den ersten Platz der US-amerikanischen Billboard-Charts mit einer Debütsingle zu belegen. Außerdem belegte ihr Debütalbum # 1 der britischen Charts. Sie haben zwei Ivor Novello Awards und vier BMI Awards (Broadcast Music Industry) gewonnen. Ganz nebenbei hatten sie u.a. Co-Writing-Credits auf den folgenden Tracks:
- Drake: 'Way Too Sexy' - 300.000.000 Streams
- Taylor Swift: 'Look What You Made Me Do' - 700.000.000 Streams
- Beyoncé: 'Alien Superstar' - 100.000.000 Streams
Like the winged half-man/half-bull that dominates its outrageous cover, Cleveland Eaton's Half And Half is a mutant bass-heavy monster that absolutely slays. Incredible jazz-funk from 1973, it's been largely overlooked for decades, and unfairly so. This is just sensational music - a crate digger's delight. It's super funky throughout, with lots of layers, jazz breaks for days, dripping with style and gritty class. This is the first reissue of what has been a hard to find record for many years; it's long overdue. Joyous music for mind, soul and body.
Cleveland Eaton was a revered bassist who played an active role in the backing of Count Basie, the Donald Byrd Quintet, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Terry Callier and Minnie Riperton; amongst many, many others. Half And Half was the first album released under his own name, initially released as a private press record on his - awkwardly named - Cle An Thair Records. It was then picked up by Gamble & Huff for Gamble Records. Varied, string-adorned and with stupid funky grooves, it's just exceptionally good.
Whilst Half And Half is treasured for its famously brilliant interpretations of gold funk-soul standards, Eaton proves an imaginative composer in his own right. Indeed, the album opens with a striking original; the earthy, laconic jazz-guitar-funk fusion of "Keep It Funky". Cleveland and co. do exactly that. Up next is a properly moving cover of Aretha Franklin's eternal "Day Dreaming". The flute and guitar combo truly achieve celestial greatness here. "Here Comes Funky Lou" rides a bassline from the Gods and a driving soul-jazz groove allows the track to go off in all sorts of directions. Serene guitar soul of the breezy variety one moment, crazy hectic violin-driven wig outs the next, courtesy of Ed Green who played with Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane.
His blistering two track salvo of Stylistics covers to close out this A-Side of A-Sides will leave your jaw dropped, and they're likely the reason you're here for this. And why not? "Betcha By Golly Wow", which uses a bed of acidy synths and harmonica to create a unique atmosphere, is on some next level business. Melancholic, wistful, beautiful. "People Make the World Go Round" is so good, dripping in wonderful horns and ace percussive breaks, it could even be regarded as the definitive version. Seriously!
Opening Side B, War's gigantic "Slipping Into Darkness" is tightly tailored to Eaton's funky flute fusion arrangement whilst the insistent "Missing You" is a swaggering horn-heavy version of Luther Ingram's track from the Dilla/Ghostface-linked LP, I've Been Here All The Time. The creeping, screeching guitar-drenched original "John's Groove" features more fantastic horn lines and neck-snapping percussion whilst "The Love Gangster", written by Bill Wyman and Stephen Stills for his seminal Manassas LP, contains a heavy break with slick drums high in the mix and fuzzy guitars.
The album closes with two more Eaton originals. Written with Johnny Guitar Watson, "Lie" is one hell of a funky string and guitar-driven gem whilst the wild, celebratory "Ah Movin' On" cleverly quotes "Wade In The Water" (which he'd recorded with Ramsey Lewis in 1966) folding it into his new free-jazz composition. A message to his old boss, perhaps, as a sign-off?
We've worked on this reissue for 3.5 years, spending the whole time making it sound super sharp and looking as perfect as it possibly can. An absolute must-have for fans of soulful jazz-funk, Half And Half was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman at Final Tweak. The bizarre artwork, mutant beast and all, was restored at Be With HQ over many painstaking months! Hopefully, this new edition, a real labour of love, should bring Cleveland Eaton into the homes and record boxes of many more people.




















