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Arrow – Hot Hot Hot (1982) (Arrow Records-019)

  August 15, 2019

Arrow Hot Hot Hot 1982 Arrow Records ARROW-019 According to my well-placed sources, there was a time where you couldn’t go to a party in the Caribbean without somebody playing this record, or at least the title cut.  Monserrat native and Pillies fan Arrow (Alphonsus Cassell) had been releasing calypso and soca albums since the early 70’s, but most people outside the region will probably know the title track from the tepid “Buster Poindexter” version by David Johansen.  It’s a … Continue reading

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Rubens da Mangueira – Eu Sou Assim (1978) (Copacabana COLP – 12225)

  August 11, 2019 ,

Rubens da Mangueira Eu Sou Assim 1978 Copacabana COLP – 12225 The Mangueira escola de samba has produced no shortage of delights in terms of composers, singers, and musicians, and they are still going strong today.  Understandably, with eternal titans like Cartola and Nelson Cavaquinho associated with the institution, other sambistas were destined to forever walk in their shadows as mere mortals, and were proud to do so.  This record by Rubens da Mangueira opens with the funky, humorous Estrangeiro … Continue reading

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Ned Doheny – Hard Candy (1976) (2014 Be With Records 180g reissue)

  August 8, 2019 ,

Ned Doheny – Hard Candy Vinyl rip in 24-bit/192 kHz | FLAC |  Art scans at 300 dpi 1.4801GB (24/192) | 714MB (24/96) + 238 MB (16/44) | 2014 Be With Records BEWITH003LP | Genre:   Soul, Funk, Rock I’m not sure that the release of Ned Doheny’s 1973 album sold enough copies to inculcate anything much in the way of expectations, but anybody who had happened to own that album could be forgiven for wondering if his second record in … Continue reading

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João Gilberto – O amor, o sorriso, e a flor (1960) (Odeon MOFB 3151)

  August 5, 2019

João Gilberto – O amor, o sorriso e a flor 1960 Odeon – MOFB 3151 This pressing, early 1970’s, mono mix A month ago, the world mourned the loss of a gentle musical soul,  and an icon of a Brazil that ceased to exist long ago.  Like many others, discovering João Gilberto’s music beyond the Getz/Gilberto album was a major “event” in my life that made me want to understand more about a country that could produce such a messenger … Continue reading

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Helio Matheus – Matheus Segundo Matheus (1975) (AOTNLP017)

  July 26, 2019 , , ,

Helio Matheus – Matheus Segundo Matheus (1975) Original release, RCA-Victor, Brazil 2018 Reissue, Athens Of The North, AOTNLP017 A short-and-sweet Friday post for you to get your weekend started on point.  Scottish label Athens Of The North (or AOTN) serves up a reissue of this cult classic that, thanks to a collector’s market gone mad, I will never be able to afford as an original pressing. No idea what they used for their source but it sounds pretty decent, so … Continue reading

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David Sancious and Tone – Transformation (The Speed of Love) (1976 Epic)

  July 19, 2019 ,

David Sancious and Tone – Transformation (The Speed Of Love) 1976 Epic Records PE 33939| Genre:  Fusion, Jazz-rock, Progressive rock If, like me, you thought that Incident on 57th Street and New York City Serenade were the high points of Bruce Springsteen’s early career, then you should probably give your attention to musical polymath and chameleon David Sancious.  Sancious was keyboardist for the E. Street Band on their first two albums, and contributed to the title track of Born To … Continue reading