ZAPPA vs BEATLES ZAPPAtite - Frank Zappa's Tastiest Tracks Hungry for Zappa? Get a full plate of Frank Zappa s tastiest music. Spanning three decades and 18 tracks, this compilation is a sampler platter for the curious and a buffet of favorites for the fans. From 'Trouble Every Day' off the 1966 Freak Out! album to 1987s 'Strictly Genteel' featuring the London Symphony Orchestra, Zappatite cooks up a feast of Frank Zappa s expansive work. Get a big helping of Frank Zappa on Zappatite. Frank Zappa Guitar [2 CD] Guitar Heaven...Released in 1988 from concerts between 79-84. Frank Zappa's Jukebox During a career which spanned more than 30 years and 57 albums, Frank Zappa became recognized as one of the most versatile, motivated and accomplished composers of the rock era. A unique artist with an irreverent satirical wit and a fantastic love of the absurd, Zappa without doubt deserves the overly used label of genius. The collection brings together his most important influences on one disc
BEATLES VS ZAPPA Let It Be - Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney And Harrison This is the second volume (the first was five years earlier) in Ace Records' deep exploration of a most worthy musical subgenre that I'm sure most people didn't even realize existed: Black American artists (soul, pop and jazz, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s) covering songs of the Beatles. Whereas only eight of these records ever cracked the pop or soul Top 40, there are maybe hundreds of others that fell short, were B-sides or LP tracks only (mostly the latter), or else remained unissued in their time. Not appearing in this Ace series so far but first to hit big in this particular field was Ray Charles in 1967 and 1968 with unique and personal renditions of "Yesterday" [#9 soul / #15 pop], followed by "Eleanor Rigby" [#26 pop / #30 soul]. I mention these two, since they remain my favorites and I got them when they originally came out. The Beatles' covers by Black America began in 1964 shortly after the "invasion" struck, but the hit singles didn't happen until later in the '60s. This compilation boasts the biggest hit ever of this type, that being Earth, Wind and Fire's dynamic, brassy and souljazzy version of "Got to Get You into My Life" from 1978 [#1 soul / #9 pop / #30 easy listening // #33 UK pop]. The next most familiar track here is undoubtedly Aretha Franklin's assertive and audacious "Eleanor Rigby" (in which she herself becomes Eleanor Rigby!) Muscle Shoals-recorded rendition from 1969 [#5 soul / #17 pop, outpacing Ray Charles' earlier hit version on both charts]. And if anyone flipped over their copy of the 5 Stairsteps' 1970 pop and soul smash "O-o-h Child," they would have been fortunate enough to discover an excellent, superbly produced cover of "Dear Prudence." It was actually the original A-side but might have proved a bit too progressive for most AM listeners, while FM largely ignored the youthful Chicago group (which, incidentally, was later signed by George Harrison's Dark Horse label). Disc: 1 1. Eleanor Rigby - Aretha Franklin 2. Dear Prudence - the 5 Stairsteps 3. Got to Get You Into My Life - Earth, Wind and Fire 4. Do You Want to Know a Secret - Mary Wells 5. The Fool on the Hill - Four Tops 6. Lovely Rita - Fats Domino 7. Here Comes the Sun - Nina Simone 8. Ob la Di Ob la Da - Arthur Conley 9. A World Without Love - the Supremes 10. Tomorrow Never Knows - Junior Parker 11. Don't Let Me Down - Randy Crawford 12. With a Little Help from My Friends - the Undisputed Truth 13. A Hard Day's Night - Screamin' Jay Hawkins 14. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - Ike & Tina Turner 15. For No One - Maceo & All the King's Men 16. It's Only Love - Gary Us Bonds 17. We Can Work It Out - Dionne Warwick 18. Hey Jude - the Temptations 19. In My Life - Boyz II Men 20. Savoy Truffle - Ella Fitzgerald 21. Something - Isaac Hayes 22. Let It Be - Bill Withers Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney Both- $125 After reviewing this volume's 2016 successor ("Let It Be...," which adds George Harrison-penned songs to the mix), I gave this one another listen and would rate it a half-notch below the second, largely because of the rather iffy inclusions here of "Why Don't We Do It in the Road," Rocky Raccoon" and "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey," none of which even Lowell Fulson, the Moments, nor Fats Domino (respectively) could rescue. On the other hand, there are quite a few dazzlers on board that should not be missed; so thank you, Ace Records and ace compiler (and excellent booklet notes scribe) Tony Rounce, for bringing us so many worthwhile tracks (16 stereo, 8 mono; superb sound), starting with the disc's closer "Let It Be" (1970) by Aretha Franklin. This is a gospel-soul beauty done the way Paul McCartney had envisioned the song as he was writing it. Also from 1970, and on the terrific side, is Little Richard performing the song he originally influenced, "I Saw Her Standing There," one of his finest post- 1950s rock and soul recordings. And while we're at it, how about Al Green in his early days at Hi Records in Memphis (1969) doing "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in his soon-to-be-known unique and impeccable funky soul-preacher style (with flashes of his otherworldly wailing falsetto). Nearly none of these tracks dented the national charts, but one that did is Mister Twister Chubby Checker's cookin' "Back in the U.S.S.R." [#82 pop], his penultimate charter and first in three years.
One of the best of the soulsterscovering-british-rock subgenre, Otis Redding (whose incredibly rousing take on the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction" is proof enough), does the honors here on "Day Tripper" in a previously unissued version. Another fantastic rarity, albeit very different musically, is Maxine Brown's early remake of "We Can Work It Out" (1966), featuring an exquisite orchestral arrangement and a lovely, heartfelt lead vocal. This was a B-side that I couldn't believe I was only first hearing 45 years later. Staying with the great 1960s soulstresses, Mary Wells' "Please Please Me" from her 1965 LP of Beatles covers is a delight. The Beatles had made her their featured guest on their first UK tour as headliners, and she had become infatuated with them as much as they had been with her. I especially enjoy when she sings, "Last night I said these words to MY GUY," an ever-so-smooth link to her recent biggest hit ever, "My Guy" (penned by Smokey Robinson, who was a major early influence on the Fab Four). Between "Duke of Earl" (1962) and "Groovy Situation" (1970), nonhardcore R&B/soul fans might have lost touch with the work of Chicago's Gene Chandler and thus have never heard his cool, semi-funky, Ray Charles-inspired rendition of "Eleanor Rigby" from his 1969 LP "The Two Sides of Gene Chandler" [which I reviewed 3/20/15]. You can catch it here (Trk 7). One last pleasant surprise - and it directly follows "Eleanor Rigby" - is the Vibrations' magnificent reading of "And I Love Her," featuring majestically gorgeous harmonies and a soaring hightenor lead vocal. Disc: 1 1. Back in the USSR - Chubby Checker 2. We Can Work It Out - Maxine Brown 3. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey - Fats Domino 4. Ticket to Ride - Wee Willie Walker 5. Good Day Sunshine - Roy Redmond 6. Please Please Me - Mary Wells 7. Eleanor Rigby - Gene Chandler 8. And I Love Her - The Vibrations 9. Come Together - Chairmen Of The Board 10. Blackbird - Billy Preston 11. Paperback Writer - R.B. Greaves 12. Rocky Racoon - The Moments 13. Drive My Car - Black Heat 14. Lady Madonna - Junior Parker 15. Help - David Porter 16. Yesterday - Linda Jones 17. Day Tripper (previously unissued alternate take 4) - Otis Redding 18. Why Don't We Do It in the Road - Lowell Fulson 19. I Saw Her Standing There - Little Richard 20. Don't Let Me Down - Donald Height 21. Get Back - The Main Ingredient 22. The Long and Winding Road - The New Birth 23. I Want to Hold Your Hand - Al Green 24. Let It Be - Aretha Franklin Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Deluxe Edition) If you were alive and reasonably conscious in the Spring of 1967 you might have heard a prematurely released, unauthorized version of a brand new Beatles album on the radio before it quickly disappeared for another 6 weeks. It was a tantalizing treat. At the same time, a new single sounding suspiciously like the Beatles hit the FM airwaves but the record was a red herring: New York Mining Disaster by the BeeGees, who were then new to America and something of a Beatles sound-alike. The album was real, however, and when it was finally released for good at the end of May it literally changed the world in ways that are inconceivable today. Sergeant Pepper's release 50 years ago coincided with a ramp-up in the Vietnam War, an increase in protests on campus and in the streets, and the birth of Hippies and the so-called "Summer of Love." The album was heard absolutely everywhere all Summer long and it became the soundtrack of that amazing and complex era. It influenced song writing, studio recording, every aspect of music production, the artistic layout and design of LPs (it was the first Rock album to include written lyrics and inserts and the cover was unique and brilliant) and its phenomenal commercial and artistic success remains a legend in the music business, unique in ways that may never reoccur. In celebration of that artistic success, Capitol has released this Deluxe Edition DVD + Blu-ray + Audio CD 4 CD Box Set. It is quite an expansive tribute to this iconic record (Rolling Stone's number one Rock album of all time). Disc one: A brand new stereo mix by Giles Martin sounds clearer, cleaner and more spacious than the original and the subsequent re-masters. The crowd noises at the album's opening sounds alarmingly real, and the guitars, drums and vocals sound great. A Little Help From My Friends has an even more infectious groove because Ringo's voice and the music now have a wider soundstage and greater clarity. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds has been opened up and now has a trippy, spacey infectiousness that really makes you suspect the official version of the title's initials. Getting Better, Fixing A Hole and She's Leaving Home are cleaner with more detail and presence. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! has been especially improved with the calliope/harmonium/organ sounds produced by a Hammond organ, tape loops and harmonicas now whirling around the room with thrilling threedimensional clarity.
The rest of the album continues Sergeant Peppers' sonic re-vitalization, with much less audible compression and improved transparency. A Day in the Life now has explosive crescendos that sound like hammers of fate while John's voice has never sounded so terrifying. The new Sergeant Pepper stereo mix isn't revolutionary but it is a substantive improvement in presence and immediacy, making the album sound more vibrant and alive than previous versions. Disc two and three: Over 100 minutes of studio outtakes and chatter that helps to illuminate the recording process. Some of you will love this stuff, enjoying the backstage glimpse of the Beatles as they recorded their masterpiece. Others of you may find it a little repetitive after a while. I found it a fascinating historical excursion into musical memory. It's a matter of taste. Disc four: The original 1967 mono mix that was released with the Beatles' approval. This mono recording was reportedly the Beatles' favorite version of the album. The band considered it more unified in expression and containing greater musical impact. I get the point but still prefer the stereo version for its sonic magic. Disc five and six: The restored 1992 documentary The Making of Sgt. Pepper, which includes interviews with Paul, George and Ringo, has been around for awhile but has never looked better. It is great to hear George again, speaking about the creation of the album. The inthe-studio footage, which is introduced by the late George Martin, feels and looks like opening a time capsule and watching the band work. The restored promotional films for 'A Day In The Life', 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' look and sound terrific. The 2017 Giles Martin 5.1 surround sound mix and the high-resolution 96KHz/24bit stereo audio of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band plus 'Strawberry Fields Forever' and 'Penny Lane' are icing-on-the-cake. Sergeant Pepper in surround sound and hi-res are an entirely different audio experience. This is how the album might sound if it were recorded today. The music is superbly alive and totally immersive. The 144-page hardback book with song-by-song details and recording information, essays about the design of the cover, the album's many innovations and its historical context are enlightening. The illustrations feature photos from the recording sessions, as well as handwritten lyrics and Abbey Road studio documentation. Anyone that loves the music produced by the Beatles during this amazingly creative period will probably love this box set. It's pricey but it's a treasure trove of memories and definitely worth acquiring. 1-1 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 2:03 1-2 With A Little Help From My Friends 2:45 1-3 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds 3:28 1-4 Getting Better 2:47 1-5 Fixing A Hole 2:38 1-6 She's Leaving Home 3:26 1-7 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! 2:39 1-8 Within You Without You 5:08 1-9 When I'm Sixty-Four 2:40 1-10 Lovely Rita 2:46 1-11 Good Morning Good Morning 2:34 1-12 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) 1:21 1-13 A Day In The Life 5:33 The Sgt. Pepper Sessions 2-1 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Take 9) 2:37 2-2 With A Little Help From My Friends (Take 1 - False Start And Take 2 - Instrumental) 3:17 2-3 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Take 1) 3:59 2-4 Getting Better (Take 1 - Instrumental) 2:19 2-5 Fixing A Hole (Take 3) 3:28 2-6 She's Leaving Home (Take 1 - Instrumental) 3:49 2-7 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite! (Take 4) 3:07 2-8 Within You Without You (Take 1 - Indian Instrumental) 5:33 2-9 When I'm Sixty-Four (Take 2) 2:59 2-10 Lovely Rita (Take 9) 3:04 2-11 Good Morning Good Morning (Take 8) 2:47 2-12 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) (Take 8) 1:56 2-13 A Day In The Life (Take 1 And Hummed Last Chord) 4:52 2-14 Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 7) 3:17 2-15 Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 26) 3:20 2-16 Strawberry Fields Forever (Stereo Mix - 2015) 4:06 2-17 Penny Lane (Take 6 - Instrumental) 2:57 2-18 Penny Lane (Stereo Mix - 2017) Beatles Men's Jump Photo Heather T-shirt Heather pledge $50 Small to 2XL 90% Cotton / 10% Polyester 100% Preshrunk Cotton Silkscreened Image
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