Pop & Rock News

Born in the early 60s as 'Herr Mussita e i Nomadi' by initiative from bassist / singer Franco Mussita, the group soon altered its name to 'Nomadi' until, not to clash with the namesakes of the famous authors of 'Dio è morto', they eventually and permanently changed into 'I Raminghi'.

Under this name the band began to play several stage and even TV appearances, and in the wake of a growing success they finally managed to record and release their only LP in 1971. The typical vehemence of their live performances is perhaps only partly transferred on the album tracks, but "Il lungo cammino dei Raminghi" is still a remarkable job, packed with beat, psychedelic, progressive and folk music, which certainly impressed the lucky ones who were able to listen to it at the time of its release.

This album was in fact printed in very few copies, and is now among the rarest items of the early seventies Italian scene. Already reissued by Vinyl Magic in a CD papersleeve version, which is now out of print, "Il lungo cammino..." is now proposed in a faithful reproduction of the original release, with a 30x30cm mini-poster and a completely unheard song, "Non Farlo"!
A beautiful work, to be rediscovered and re-evaluated as soon as possible!Including a bonus track

Plays The Music Of Jimi Hendrix" -
Gil Evans (arr, cond, p); David Sanborn, Billy Harper (sax, fl); Lewis Soloff (tp); Tom Malone (synth, tb, fl, b); David Horowitz (el-p, synth); John Abercrombie (g); Don Pate (b); Warren Smith, Jr. (chimes, perc, vib); Bruce Ditmas (dr); a.o.

Critics find this album rather difficult to evaluate. Their judgement ranges from a colourful mixture to a successful cover album to a masterly fusion and an homage to an artist whose life came to an end far too soon - Jimi Hendrix. Jimi had long been gone when this album was recorded in 1974. But it is almost superfluous to look back to the legendary Hendrix if you focus on the great Gil Evans. After such milestones as "Birth Of The Cool" and "Sketches Of Spain" it isn't difficult to regard these late audiophile masterpieces as a logical development of Evans's exceptional skill as an arranger.
When you listen - or rather experience - how the crystal-clear sound in "Angel" is heightened to an emphatic ballad on the saxophone, or how rich soulful vocals storm ahead in a funky style ("Crosstown Traffic"), or fluffy, cloud-like sounds are built up on the flutes in "Castles Made From Sand", then it is no longer of importance who thought out the music. It is sufficient that it exists and is pleasing to all who hear it. It is also unimportant whether one reveres Hendrix's immemorable melodies or whether one pays homage to Evans's visionary soundworld: a recording such as this could only be born of the two.

Recording: 1974 at RCA's Studio B, New York City, by Bob Simpson
Production: Mike Lipskin

A compilation of classic 70s/80s AOR tracks, that make up the genre of Yacht Rock - smooth rock at its best!

So what of AOR, in fact what do we even mean by Adult Orientated Rock It's the music that sold albums by the truckload in the 70s and 80s, to an audience of rock fans who had graduated college and were getting stuck in to grown up jobs whilst listening to singers wearing per-ironic mullets. It was well-produced and nicely performed and just a little glossy. (...)These records could contain a hell of a lot of soul. Singers such as Daryl Hall or Michael McDonald had the best blue-eyed soul voices in the US and when they had hits many others tried to copy them.' (AOR Breaks liner notes).

Features all of the biggest artists, including Christopher Cross, The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Carly Simon, Seals and Crofts, America, Rickie Lee Jones & many more.

Every so often, a band comes along that digs back into what pop music is all about -- good, fun tunes. Fountains of Wayne is one such band.

Their self-titled debut studio album was released in 1996. Recorded when the band was just a duo, Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger provided almost all the instrumentation during the recording. Schlesinger and Porter had also been members of The Belltower, and bassist Danny Weinkauf later played with Lincoln before joining They Might Be Giants [Flood available as MOVLP1239].

Written over a period of years as outlets to make each other laugh through inside jokes and references to suburban life in New York and New Jersey, the songs on the album were recorded in five days. The songwriting is straightforward and wonderful; nearly every song is a Pop gem. The result is an innovative album - very few albums released in the '90s have been this pleasant, charming, and all-round likeable.

Scott Morgan notes: Compositionally, many tracks on Plume are similar in approach to First Narrows; they started with a harmonic root from which sounds were processed into a loose structure over whcih the live players could improvise. There was substantially less editing this time around with the live tracks. I opted to choose the better improvised passes and merely mix them in and out rather than cut them up. I think this leaves a lot more natural space and balances the heavily structured and repetitive electronic elements with more organic performed layers.



Jason Zumpano returned from the First Narrows ensemble and I aslo recruited long time friend Steve Wood and my partner Krista to play some ebow guitar as well as Josh Lindstrom to play some xylophone and vibraphone which added some new elements into the mix.

Thematically, I stuck with things that are quintessentially loscil; flow, subtle movement, gradual transition, growth. Also of significance to this album is the family connection. "Charlie" was composed after seeing and hearing my daughter Sadie through ultrasound while still in the womb. The track was also composed as a womb-like sound experience for her to sleep to after she was born, hence the heart beats.

ORIGIANLLY RECORDED IN 1976

Special Edition Coloured Red Vinyl 180 Gram

The Little Drummer Boy,
Sleigh Ride,
Silent Night,
Merry Christmas All,
There's Someone Who's Knocking,
Christmas Time,

Christmas Medley (12:08)



Joy To The World
Deck The Halls
O Come All Ye Faithful
Jingle Bells
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
The Christmas Song
White Christmas
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Winter Wonderland
The First Nöel
We Wish You A Merry Christmas


New Year's Medley (6:46)

Auld Lang Salsoul
I'm Looking Over A Four Leaf Clover
Alabama Jubilee
Oh, Dem Golden Slippers
God Bless America

Deluxe edition of the bestselling Christmas album, on opaque red vinyl

As St John Sessions' reputation has developed, so too have opportunities outside its stained-glass windows: an accompanying string of performances have been established up the road at Café OTO; cultural institutions are frequently on board, most notably in the case of founding partner Moringa, a community-focused arts charity; local broadcasters NTS Radio and Boiler Room have been bringing the music to an international audience via frequent live streams. All this will now be housed within a larger umbrella company entitled ThirtyThree ThirtyThree - a double quip on both the sonic (full-length RPMs) and the spiritual (Jesus' rather untimely demise) - with a namesake record label to match. The imprint, set up in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory, will exist to showcase live recordings taken from St John Sessions, both home and abroad as the series expands. ThirtyThree ThirtyThree kicks off with arguably the most impactful St John performance to date: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Taylor Deupree. 2014's concert with sound design wizard Deupree and multi-discipline legend Sakamoto - whose career has run the gamut from Oscar-winning film scores through daring proto-electronic records - was notable for their kinetic understanding on stage, providing a fittingly unique way to inaugurate a unique label.* Legendary live performance by Ryuichi Sakamoto & Taylor Deupree * Recorded as part of the St. John Sessions * Mixed and mastered by Taylor Deupree * Vinyl mastering by Noel Summerville * Pressed on two 180-gram heavyweight records (run time: 54 minutes) * Housed in a bespoke clear foiled outer sleeve * Includes 12" photographic print * Limited to 1000 copies worldwide

Recorded live at the Superdome in New Orleans for Farm Aid 7 in September of 1994, this is classic grunge-era Neil and Crazy Horse. Though the set list consists of only 5 tunes, the show's running time is nearly an hour as Neil and crew give epic performances of all-time favorites like 'Down By The River', and Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower', as well as newer arrivals like 'Country Home' (from 1990's Ragged Glory) and 'Change Your Mind' (from 1994's Sleeps With Angels). An essential Neil live set available now in unprecedented sound quality.

Alben: Fantastic - Make it Big - Heaven