Amon Düül - Airs On A Shoe String 1986

Even with only five tracks, Airs on a Shoestring is one of the best avenues to investigate Amon Düül's sometimes irritable, sometimes unlistenable brand of fragmented rock and jazz fusion. Two of the tracks, "Hymn for the Hardcore" and the humorous "Olaf (Where's My $20,000?)" represent the band's musical sloppiness the best, but, at the same time, offer a foreshadowing into Amon Düül II's Krautrock prominence. The jams are unraveled and fountain-like, while the guitar rhythms are half-built, melding into the thrashing of the drums and cymbals. The lyrics, often indecipherable, are drowned out by clashes of percussion and the splattering of guitar improvisation anyway, but there is still some positive energy felt within the rawness of the music. Airs on a Shoestring may be brief, but this, in itself, is welcoming, and it's much easier to find than most of their albums. AMG.

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Will Calhoun - Native Lands 2005

Drummer Will Calhoun's Native Lands is a rather ambitious effort and quite successful. The personnel changes on each selection, ranging from a quintet with tenor-saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and trumpeter Wallace Roney to several duets, solo pieces for Will Calhoun on a variety of instruments, and even a 30-second statement on drums from two-year old Tateich Calhoun. The leader wrote the majority of the selections yet does not dominate, and his many illustrious sidemen have opportunities to stretch out. The post is post-bop jazz, sometimes looking towards Africa, always rhythmically interesting, and never dull or meandering. The accompanying DVD is part travelogue, part documentary of the record dates, and also holds one's interest. Recommended. AMG.

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Daniel Lanois - Shine 2003

Thirty seconds into "I Love You," the first track off of Shine, Daniel Lanois' warm, watery guitar signature is already unmistakable, even before his voice entwines ecstatically with Emmylou Harris'. Shine is the third Lanois album to appear under his own name, and his first in a decade. What is immediately startling about Shine is how spare it is. There is a plethora of sounds and textures to be sure, but they are suspended in space, looking not outside to communicate but toward the heart as a mirror, as if to make certain that the music played is not necessarily accurate but is true. Folk, country, blues, psychedelia, and atmosphere are wound together into an inseparable knot. Lanois played almost all of the instruments here, with the exception of drums, handled by Brian Blade and occasionally his brother, Brady. Other musicians, such as longtime musical collaborator Malcolm Burn and bassistDarryl Johnson, make appearances. Beginning with "I Love You," with its acceptance and pleading need (lent great credence by Harris' singing) and on into "Falling at Your Feet," a duet co-written withU2's Bono during the All That You Can't Leave Behind sessions, to the third track, "As Tears Go By," with a sampled guitar line by blues guitar legend Charley Patton, it is clear that Lanois is writing from a place more vulnerable, more spiritually conscious, and yet more strident than ever before. WhereAcadie was full of warmth and intimacy, it felt like a collection of songs that had been assembled from many sessions. For the Beauty of Wynona, with all of its experimentation and poetic songwriting, was a far more unified project, but it was reliant on its wide-ranging sonic attack to support those adventurous words and melodies. Here, everything is balanced; the scope is small, close, and textured by pedal steel guitars, very organic percussion, and Lanois' voice way up front. On the instrumentals, such as "Transmitter," "Matador," "Space Kay," and the closer, "JJ Leaves La," the same whispering feel is evident. The songs on Shine feel like confessions, prayers even, not only to a superior being, but to lovers, full of brokenness and the willingness to learn and heal; they are wrapped in the soil of North America, from Montreal to Mexico; they feel rooted in not only the earth, but in spirituality and a willingness to open to the forces of the heart itself. The instrumentals create a sense of movement through time and space to anchor the intent of the vocal tracks. His instincts are nearly perfect: When the weight of a particular series of songs begins to move the listener too far in one direction, an instrumental or two appears, allowing one to drift in its ambience for a short time. After a pair of instrumentals ("Matador" and "Space Kay"), "Slow Giving" and "Fire" are hymns to unseen angels who may indeed represent living characters or those who've passed after imparting some gift. ClearlyLanois' protagonist relies on them heavily in the dark times with a lyricism that is sophisticated, literate, poetic, and soulful. That's a rare combination. The album closes with the pedal steel tune "JJ Leaves LA." The steel guitar was Lanois' first instrument, and its gentility and sweetness are tempered only by its pervasive melancholy, leaving the listener with a sense of bittersweet longing and a sense that some kind of story has been told, a series of snapshots have been shown that reveal something, postcards have been sent and arrived unexpectedly, and the only way to unravel the mystery is play the record again. AMG. 

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Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Ice Cream For Crow 1982

With yet one final Magic Band lineup in place, featuring Richard Snyder on bass and Cliff Martinez on drums alongside returning vets Jeff Moris Tepper and Gary Lucas, Beefheart put the final touch on his recording career to date with Ice Cream for Crow. It's a last entertaining blast of wigginess from one of the few truly independent artists in late 20th century pop music, with humor, skill, and style all still intact (as even the song titles like "Semi-Multicoloured Caucasian" and "Cardboard Cutout Sundown" show). With the Magic Band turning out more choppy rhythms, unexpected guitar lines, and outré arrangements, Captain Beefheart lets everything run wild as always, with successful results. Sometimes he sounds less like the blues shouter of lore and more of a spoken word artist with an attitude, thus the stuttering flow of "The Host the Ghost the Most Holy." "Hey Garland, I Dig Your Tweed Coat" is even more entertainingly outrageous, Beefheart's addictive if near impenetrable ramble about tobacco juice and straw hats and more backed by an insanely great arrangement. Magic Bandmembers each get chances to shine one way or another -- "Evening Bell" in particular demonstrates why Lucas went on to later solo renown, a complex, suddenly shifting solo instrumental that sits somewhere between background music and head-scratching "how did he do that?" intrigue. AMG.

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Googie & Tom Coppola - Shine The Light of Love 1980

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new official album reissue of Shine the Light of Love by Googie & Tom Coppola: A beautiful soaring soul album sublimely produced with a sweet LA groove!

Thomas Wilkinson Coppola (aka Tom Coppola) is a pianist and arranger, known for being a principal member of the funky prog-jazz group Air (not to be confused with the French duo). He began working as a musician in Manhattan in the 1960s, where he met Carolyn Brooks (aka Googie Coppola). If they only released one self-titled album with Air in 1970, and Shine the Light of Love as a duo in 1980, these two amazing talents have collaborated with artists such as Herbie Mann, Lenny White, Flora Purim, Ray Barreto or Jeremy Steig to name just a few.

Shine the Light of Love was also released in 1980 on Columbia, after the couple left Air to become born-again Christian. A real lack of promotion from the label caused the record to disappear, however it was, in many ways, years ahead of their contemporaries. Googie's vocals are an absolute delight - with a Minnie Riperton-esque sort of feeling - and the overall album's got some nice jazzy touches and a sublime, sophisticated approach to the overall sound, while never falling into commercial.

An underrated masterpiece that definitely deserved more attention, which is why Favorite Recordings is deeply honored today to present it in a fully remastered version, housed in a fine gatefold sleeve including original notes.

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The Fleshtones - Roman Gods 1982

In the 1980s, of the dozens of bands who were mining the sounds of '60s garage rock for inspiration, few were smarter or wittier about it than the Fleshtones; lots of folks might have sounded more like the Knaves or the Remains or whatever band they chose to embrace as a sonic template, but Peter Zaremba, Keith Streng, and their partners in Super Rock were able to communicate heart, soul, and actual thought instead of a mere awestruck nostalgia. The Fleshtones could also rock pretty hard, and were willing to mix up their influences a bit (not many nuevo garage bands would pick Lee Dorsey as the source of their album's sole cover tune). There's never been a real substitute for seeing the Fleshtones live (not even their live album quite fills the quota), but Roman Gods does a fine job of getting their ideas down on plastic with muscle, enthusiasm, and creative thinking, and it boasts several of their best songs, including the hard-charging "R-I-G-H-T-S," the moody "Shadow Line," the rollicking "I've Gotta Change My Life" (good advice!), and the title cut, easily the finest Kingsmen tune ever written by some guys from New York 20 years after "Louie Louie" was a hit. It's cool, it's not dumb, and it sounds great at a party -- Roman Gods is everything you've ever wanted in a garage revival album, and more! AMG.

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Ami Koita - Songs Of Praise 1994

Koita sings the ancient songs of her native Mali in an Afro-pop style, with remarkable vocal dexterity. Rarely is danceable music so affecting and spiritual, and Koita devotes herself to her music totally. The liner notes indicate this disc combines two previous albums on a single disc, but there is no indication of what those earlier albums were called. AMG. 

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Baby Consuelo (born Bernadete Dinorah de Carvalho Cidade July 18, 1952) (also known as Baby do Brasil) is a Brazilian performer, singer and composer.

Although she is known for her energetic performances and compositions in pop, Baby has also composed for the samba and MPB scene. Early in her career she was a member of Novos Baianos, and was at once married to Brazilian guitarist and bandmate Pepeu Gomes. Her 1985 album, "Sem Pecado e Sem Juízo" sold more than 1 million copies.

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Brett Nelson - Buffalo Jump Art & Crafts 2010

Songwriter Brett Nelson has worked in a variety of musical mediums (Built to Spill) - as a frontman and supporting musician in indie rock, folk and country bands and working as a solo artist. In 2010, he completed his debut full-length album Buffalo Jump Art & Crafts in his home studio while working to produce an EP for folk duo Autumn in the Oak Tree.

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Black Moses - Emperor Deb 2001

Debut album from former Thee Hypnotics frontman Jim Jones, this is sleazy stoner rock with a hefty dose of 60s and 70s soul, an essential for any worshippers at the altar of garage rock. 

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