5 comments about Oh, By the Way.

1. Oh, By the Way
   I bought this Pink Floyd Oh By The Way set for around $173 from Amazon, in July of 2008. I have no problems with the set, as was mentioned in other reviews. The labeling for Ummagumma and The Wall are OK. All inserts are included. I did not know about the Japanese mini-sleeves released in 2001 before I made this purchase. Who knows whether those will ever be released again or how much they might cost? I notice in some photos that the box is blue-colored. Mine is brown. Was there a North American set and a UK version? Is this an Import? Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase.



2. What is on this band's mind? I was looking forward this season to a 40th anniversary of Saucerful in both mono and stereo with some outtakes and the rest of the singles, Point Me, It Would Be Nice, etc, Careful and Julia in mono, how 'bout it? But Noooooooooooo...Hey a great seasonal buy: Jethro Tull Living in the Past original replica and re-mastered both for the first time ever and This Was w/BBC and mono mixes. See guys?



3. Among the known mistakes listed, the label misprint of Ummagumma and the misprint of The Wall 2nd sleeve, my box also don't have the Wish you Were Here postcard. I have contacted EMI asking an solution.
   
   Too many mistakes in a EMI/PF product. The rest is in good state. Also missing an CD with extras and Relics replica. A book with career pictures should be nice too.
   
   Some remasters are not so good, like AMLOR.



4. before you buy this you should have a look at the store or somewhere.
   I expected it in higher quality. the quality is not as good and nice as the Shine on Box



5. Why even bother with this box set, especially for $170-plus? Oh yeah, two coasters. In 20 years, it might be worth $250 to collectors in a sealed state. Stick with the remastered releases and save your money. If you are looking for collector-quality Pink Floyd releases, then go after the Mobile Fidelity releases of AHM, DSOM, Meddle, and The Wall. Heck, even Japanese vinyl releases are more worthwhile than this tripe of a boxset. This here is a rip-off.

5 comments about Fresh Cream.

1. A note about Fresh Cream's release date(s). I read in a Cream bio that the US release date of Fresh Cream was March 1967. The UK release date being December 1966. The US record was under a different record label than the UK label. If these dates are true people in the US did not hear this excellent album until a couple months into 1967.



2. music quality is fantastic, my shipping was combined to save money...what can I say---great! good photos and liner notes.



3. Many think that this album is inferior compared to other Cream albums. This is my favorite Cream album, Clapton's guitar work is beyond compare. "Spoonful", "I Feel Free" and "Sweet Wine" show Clapton's talent as a top guitarist as well as his talent as a blues musician on blues songs "Sleepy Time Time", "I'm So Glad" and "Cats Squirrel" as well as his lead vocal on "Four until Late." Gingers drumming is also at its peak on his showpiece "Toad" as well as doing more than keeping time on "Sweet Wine" and others. Jack Bruce's range as a vocalist combined with his talent as a bass and harmonica player are shown on this album more than on any other Cream Album. Though many of the songs aren't original, they sound like no other band when coming from Cream. I would take this album over any other made by Cream, or any other band!



4. Highly recommended for the unbelievable "creamy" guitar tone on these 4 tracks Sleepy Time Time -Spoonful -Cat's Squirrel -I'm So Glad.
   This album and the "beano" Bluesbreakers album are the reason was people still use the Gibson Les Paul in rock 40 years after these recordings, period.



5. Well, I still haven't found this person named Jack (if that's who it really is) who is lecturing under my name in the South. I have heard no mountainside rumblings, no manic mummerings, no foistered fanfare. So, I can only assume all is well and that it is safe again in Metamorpho Land.
   Now if only someone could tame that dragon in the west quarter of my castle, then I would be a most happy Seer. But, hey, can we ever have everything go perfectly right in our lives? You answer no? How negative. Let's move on.
   Ahhh.... here comes Fresh Cream to relax your inner inhabitions. Yes - the beginning of the power trio. And what a fine beginning it is! Eric Clapton (you know him?), Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker. Three extraordinary musicians. And this album only portends greater things yet to come.
   Alot of this album is a hybrid of traditional American blues interpreted by quality British musicians. It is amazing, when you look back, that so many English artists of this era were so taken with the blues. But we are so much better for them putting their own spin, their own staple on this genre.
   Jack Bruce, in the compostional sense, took the edge off a little with his original songs. But they somehow always had a sort of "bluesy" aura about them and some mystical rock thrown in. Listen to "I Feel Free" and you'll know what I mean. In fact, throughout this amazing debut, they expound that freedom and stretch the lines further than many conceived of at that time. Clapton (who was shy, I suppose, initially) did not contribute any songs and only arranged a Robert Johnson tune (Four Until Late). This left Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to fill in the writing chores while relying on standards by the likes of Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. Quite a combination I would say.
   The album moves from an uplifting vibration, to slower blues, to sweet harmonic grooves, to harmonica rough realizion. Such a mix. Listen to Jack Bruce's dreamy "Dreaming" and then the bluesy harmonica rave of "Rollin' and Tumblin'" and you get a firm idea of the diversity of this band. Clapton's leads are succint but essential. He grows from this point to masterful leads in later albums. Jack Bruce also uses the bass as an essential ingredient in the music. Matches Clapton note for note. And the undeniable talent of Ginger Baker cannot be questioned. Just listen to "Toad". Remarkable.
   To conclude - this is a very respectable first album by giants of the trade. Surely to hear it, you too will be singing "I'm So Glad" as well.
   I have really given it a 4 and a half rating. I am not exactly thrilled over the clarity - but it is a minor complaint when compared to the accomplishment.
   Now I must go. You know that you're all invited over to have some coffee with Metamorpho. Just don't forget to bring some cream.....
   From where the cows graze--------- Metamorpho

5 comments about Strange Days.

1. This album is other worldly. I've loved this album for a long time and once i tripped HARD while listening to it. It was pretty intense. Moonlight Drive seemed to last for half an hour and the entire room moved to the beat/rhythm of the music but i'm sure most people don't care about such things...i digress. This is great psychedelic music (drugs or no drugs) and probably the weirdest Doors album.



2. somewhat underappreciated masterpiece by the eternal doors... It stands as one of the most coherent albums ever released... with gradual build up of tension with variance, and return to tension pools, with an unbelievably effective ending... Deep thinking and deep sounding rock can not get any better than when the music's over, the only other over- 10-minutes-long studio-recorded masterwork by the doors. The other one being the end on the first album obviously. The album kind of flows like a river with eddies and tributaries, and actually achieves a more consistent line of appeal than their first album which has the weakness of being somewhat less consistent in the choice of song-sequencing, that is: great songs interspersed with much lesser works that often leads to a sense of averaging to mentally sustain the interest. This album is superior in that aspect of maintaining a higher dergee of profundity. this album would be in the top five most underrated masterpieces of rock. i know of no other group that has achieved such a feat of releasing such two great works of art back to back in the same year...KT



3. This album is simply the best Doors LP! No doubt. The entire mood of the album is well...Strange! A complete concept album with some of the strongest writing I have ever heard/read!!
   
   From the title cut right on thru to the end...there isn't a single flaw. This was the Doors at their best and Jim's writing was POWERFUL.
   Get it and you won't be disappointed...why can't they make music like this anymore.
   
   RIP...Jim.



4. Realesed around September of 1967, this album remains to be a classic Doors album. Though not nearly as good as there first debut album, "The Doors", self titled debut, it still is a good album and almost like a part two of there first album. Strange Days is a little more psychedelic than there first album, but they both compare really the same on that level. Classics that came from this album are, Strange Days, Love Me Two Times, People Are Strange, and When The Musics over. Of course there's other good songs on here like, Unhappy Girl, My Eyes Have Seen You, etc.. And really every track on the album. Horse Lattitudes is really just Jim Morrison talking and it has some weird sound effects in the background good song, every song is good on this album. If you really liked The Doors first album than I would recomend purchasing this album,
   5/5 Stars



5. Strange why you would mess with a classic.
   
   This is NOT the original recording. It has been remixed. Bad idea. I don't understand why the Doors albums were remastered in 1999, but only released in the US in that box set. The '99 remasters sounded great. But remixed?? I think even the average listener would be able to tell that something just doesn't sound right here. It isn't the same classic recordings you're used to hearing.
   
   Now, why am I against the remixes? Well, for one, it opens the door to reinterpretation. I mean, why not get a whole host of remixers for the project? You could have today's top DJs remixing classic albums from every era. You could buy the Scissors Sisters version of People Are Strange for when you want that combination of Jim Morrison and super sexy deep club beats. Why not just put the raw tracks on DVD audio and let the listener "remix" for themselves? Maybe you could get some guest musicians to add tracks to the original recordings. I mean, maybe what LA Woman really needs is a Slash guitar solo. Or how about getting Linkin Park to add some crunchy heaviness and rapping to When The Music's Over?
   
   Do you get the point? If you start rearranging the past, where do you stop? And now these remixed CDs are taking the place of the original catalog, so new listeners will be hearing something totally different than what we originally heard and fell in love with. Classics are classics for a reason. Remastering for higher fidelity is one thing, but remixing, rearranging, and reinterpreting are quite another.

5 comments about '60s: Gold.

1. There's not much to say about this album, but it was a perfect Christmas gift for my mom. I grew up listening to these tunes and I'll continue to listen to them for the rest of my life. Although this doesn't COMPLETELY sum up the 60s, it does a good job providing you with the big hits.



2. '60s: Gold is an incredible two CD set that gives us many, many great hits from the `60s. Of course, even two CDs couldn't possibly capture all of the best of this decade; but as a two CD set goes this is really rather good. I like the artwork; and the sound quality is very, very good.
   
   The Miracles start it off right with their "Shop Around." This was recorded years before The Captain & Tennille did it; and man, how they sound good! The backup vocals work well to bolster this number, too. The Marvelettes sing "Please Mr. Postman" with all their heart and soul; and I really like "Please Mr. Postman" very much. The Marvelettes are an excellent example of a `60s girl group. Listen also for Leslie Gore's "It's My Party;" Leslie never sounded better and this number always makes me smile because of that certain innocence of the lyrics.
   
   Fontella Bass sings "Rescue Me" passionately; she sounds a bit like Diana Ross but she holds her own very well. "Rescue Me" has a good rockin' `60s beat to it and it's always been one of my very favorite songs from this decade. Len Barry performs "1-2-3" with a lot of positive energy that proves to be infectious--the musical arrangement has some pretty awesome percussion!
   
   "98.6" by Keith still sounds as fresh as ever all these years alter; and Spanky & Our Gang do a great job on "Sunday Will Never be The Same." "Sunday Will Never Be The Same" profits from major and minor key modulations and this folk rock type of ballad really works well. Procol Harum, of course, scores big with their classic "A Whiter Shade Of Pale." This ballad has a very lush musical arrangement and they play this like the pros they always were! There's also Strawberry Alarm Clock doing their "Incense And Peppermints;" this psychedelic rock number was also one of my favorites and it's great to have it here on this CD.
   
   "The Rain, The Park & Other Things" was one of the biggest hits ever for The Cowsills; they harmonize so well and the lighter type of folk rock sounds so good here. Marvin Gaye also scores a huge hit with "I Heard It Though The Grapevine;" he sings this to perfection. Marvin's excellent diction bolsters his performance. The second CD closes with Steam's memorable hit entitled "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." What a strong ending for this two CD set!
   
   Overall, true fans of the `60s may already have most if not all of these tunes in their collections. However, casual fans of `60s music may be more interested in this set; it helps them avoid buying numerous CDs by giving them so much on a two CD set. This is also a great starter CD set for people just becoming acquainted with this genre of music.



3. i came of age to this music. good times and bad times, war and peace.



4. These ageless classics are Great. This mix of songs really gets you back to the 60's, crusin' main street, school days, sock hops after the football game, and teenage love. Wow! Great times and Great music!!!!



5. This series Gold, put out by Universal Music Co. is usually of top quality. Culling from the vast Universal Catalog, the '60s, has an excellent selection of well known standards as well as several "hard to find " chestnuts. The sound quality is very good and 40 songs, make this a thrifty purchase for the asking price.

5 comments about Feelin' Alright: The Definitive Collection.

1. It is a pleasure listening to the music that meant so much to my circle of friends "back in the day".
   Traffic was one of those bands that played a major supporting role in the days of Vietnam, demonstrations and turmoil.



2. does not contain Light up or leave me alone, which was disappointing, but most of the good stuff is on here. definitely worth a listen.



3. All the best music and very fast shipment. What more could we want?



4. THE BAND: The main players consisted of Steve Winwood (lead vocals, piano, organ, guitar, bass guitar, percussion), Jim Capaldi (drums, percussion, vocals), and Chris Wood (flute, sax, organ, percussion, vocals). Additional members included Rick Grech (bass guitar), Jim Gordon (drums & percussion), and on-again off-again Dave Mason (guitar, mellotron, sitar, bass guitar, vocals).
   
   THE DISC: (2000) 15 tracks clocking in at approximately 77 minutes. Included with the disc is a 14-page booklet containing song titles/credits, pictures of all album covers, what songs came from which albums, and 10 pages of pictures and history of the band and its members. Digitally remastered sound. Label - Island Records.
   
   ALBUM REPRESENTATION: "Mr. Fantasy" (1968: 4 songs), "Traffic" (1968: 4), "Last Exit" (1969: 1), "John Barleycorn Must Die" (1970: 4), "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys" (1971: 2). *No songs from "Welcome To The Canteen" (1971-Live), "Shoot Out At The Fantasy Factory" (1973), "On The Road" (1973-Live), "Where The Eagles Fly" (1974).
   
   COMMENTS: I got into Traffic way after the fact. However, I remember so many of these tunes from the classic rock radio stations growing up outside NYC. Especially the best songs on this disc... ""Dear Mr. Fantasy", "Glad", "Freedom Rider", "Empty Pages" and the ultra cool 11+ minute "Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys". With that being said, I'm sitting on the fence regarding "Feelin' Alright". The songs chosen here spot are on accurate - the best songs were chosen from each of the albums represented. But, Island Records skipped anything from their last 4 albums. So, as good as the songs here happen to be, it's not an adequate sampling at all. Traffic's sound was simply different. They were cool in a jazzy/fusion/spacy/pop kind of way. I don't recall too many bands like them at the time. They certainly were not like The Beatles or Rolling Stones. Not even close to Jimi Hendrix or anyone else at Woodstock. (Some) Traffic is necessary in your music collection. Over the years several compilations have hit the stores trying to adequately capture the best schmattering of songs. As for a single disc 'best of', this one is good... BUT it only covers a fraction of their catalog. For a more detailed mix, I'd go with the hard to find "Smiling Phases" (1991) with 2-discs and 26 tracks... and something from each of their studio albums. Looking for a single studio album - I'd first go with "John Barleycorn" (simply a great album, and backed up by the liner notes indicating this is/was Traffic's best selling album in the U.S. by a wide margin), followed by "Low Spark" and/or "Mr. Fantasy".



5. For a penny less, you can get every song on "Feelin's Alright" AND ELEVEN MORE SONGS from the compilation Smiling Phases. Sure, this one disc compilation contains *great music* but what shmoe would buy it when you can get more music on 2-CDs for less money???? Perhaps another reviewer can fill me in on the "logic" of buying this over Smiling Phases because I don't see it.
   
   EDIT - Sept 07 -
   Not sure how often Amazon fiddles with prices, but today at least, "Feeling Alright" is almost 10 dollars while "Smiling Phases" is almost 17. Those prices are more in line with the number of songs on each disc. And if "Feelin Alright" truly does have a noticeably better sound due to remastering, it might even be the better deal right now.

5 comments about The Ultimate Rock & Roll Collection: The 60's.

1. It is a well-put-together collection, so much so that I almost bought it...until I realized that I already had every song, in the same order, from another Collectables CD release - WCBS FM 101.1 25th Anniversary, Vol. 2: The 60's - Silver Anniversary Edition; this was a "limited edition" release previously put out in 1997...you may be able to get this older CD cheaper, and they are the same thing.
   That only goes to attest to the popularity of the compilation, and the fact that WCBS 101.1FM originally chose the songs means something - they are a great oldies station in New York.



2. I am using this "oldie" music to educate my grandchildren. We always play it when we are going someplace in the car and they just love it. They really get into some of the songs and our car just rocks!



3. I bought this cd along with another 60's cd and my mom loves them both.



4. The Ultimate Rock & Roll Collection: The 60's has lots of great `60s tunes that are sure to bring back great memories and introduce newcomers to this genre at the same time! The sound quality is rather good, too.
   
   The Tokens do a great job on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight;" they harmonize and sing this to perfection. I love that rockin' beat that swings back and forth as the song goes along so well. "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is an excellent `60s ballad. The Monkees also turn in a great performance on "Daydream Believer;" their sound is quite good and catchy, too! The like the subtle key changes along the way and "Daydream Believer" is a song many people can enjoy.
   
   Little Peggy March never sounded better than when she sings "I Will Follow Him;" her voice is as clear as a bell and this always impresses me. Jay & The Americans also give a great contribution with their awesome "Cara Mia;" this was always one of my very favorite tunes from the 1960s.
   
   Little Eva's "Loco-Motion" rocks and rolls just as good as the first time I ever heard it; and listen also for Spiral Starecase doing their fantastic ballad "More Today Than Yesterday." This bouncy little tune is a great celebration of love. Roy Orbison's "Pretty Woman" also ranks high on the list of highlights of this CD.
   
   Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" shows off his great talent as he sings this to perfection. Lulu also does a bang-up job on "To Sir With Love." Lulu sings beautifully and hers is another voice that is just as clear as a bell.
   
   Dion's "Donna The Prima Donna" has a great beat as Dion sings of a girl he doesn't really like so much anymore; and The Happenings turn in an innocent and sweet number with their "See You In September."
   
   Overall, fans of that great `60s music will want this CD in their collections. People just finding out about this style of music will not regret this purchase at all.



5. The best of all the 60"s collections floating around out there that I've seen so far

5 comments about In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.

1. Arrived a little late, most likely due to shipper/shipping service, having hard time getting "stereo" mix right, still trying, but nice product for the price!



2. Ok, I only bought this CD for the one song In-A Gadda Da Vida. If you did not grow up when this was released, you probably won't like it...unless you are into to some weird tripping thing. This is old school psychedelic music period.



3. This is a great classic psychedellic album. And it came out when acid rock was extremly popular and bands like, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors, The Beatles etc. Were sweeping the scene. Iron Butterfly was split up at this time but reformed. Key tracks on this album are, In A Gadda Da Vida, Most Anything You Want, etc. In A Gadda Da Vida is probaly one of the staple acid rock songs of all time first off the beat is so psychedellic and add on distorted guitar and cool organs it makes quite a good song. All in all a great 60s album and if you love acid rock this album is for you
   5/5 stars



4. Iron Butterfly was one of the forerunners of Heavy Metal.I just can't imagine what anyone thought back in 1968 when people put this on their turntable.I'm now 37 years old,I was 15 when I first heard this song in 1986,I was curious about the early days of hard rock/heavy metal.When I heard In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,I was just blown away by the intensity that was there! I was trying to compare 80's metal with Iron Butterfly's sound in my own mind,I would just like to say,IT'S A TRUE METAL CLASSIC!



5. Most people have heard the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, and the song is one of the greatest songs in rock history. The rest of the album is really good as well. I have played this album at many of parties throughout the years and it is always a hit. Many good memories of the late eighties and early nineties.

5 comments about Waiting for the Sun.

1. 
   An excellent mix of original tracks plus vocals and instuments that were left out of the record ~ It's mystical ~ morrocan ~ spanish ~ rock ~ and poetry ~ the Doors at their best.



2. This is yet another bogus Doors CD, their unfocused period in between their 2 definitive 200 albums ever made, the debut and L.A. Woman. While not as bubble gum oriented as the forghettable album with Touch Me on it which grew on me, it just doesn't have enough classic tracks on it to make it more than a three star, or quality album. This is their weird stuff. All ya'all are going before the 60s hippie movement in Christianity. The hippie movement personiofied in music by The Doors electrified Christianity, as they were no longer ethnic stereotypes and could do whatever they want. I love it.



3. Hardcore Doors purists have been making quite a fuss over Bruce Botnick's "remixing" of the entire band's catalogue. However, the structure of the songs has not been changed at all, and the production is more akin to what was done in the "Elvis 30 #1 Hits" package, the songs have been literally remixed from their ORIGINAL elements for a much superior sound quality to any previous releases. The work done on "The Doors" and "Strange Days" brought those albums back to life with great energy and complete sonic coverage, the same effect is replicated here with the band's third release, "Waiting For The Sun." Although The Doors have always been known for the excellent quality of their packages, which has been superior to even some Beatles and Hendrix releases, there were still limitations in terms of volume and stereo mixing, all fixed here. There is good reason for fans to be skeptical, when Iggy Pop attempted the same experiment with "Raw Power," the result was an album that was sharper, but sometimes overblown on the volume levels, here Botnick and his team have achieved a great sonic feat by bringing songs back to life, giving them full stereo coverage, and setting them at a volume level that can finally compete with contemporary releases. So why am I not giving it the full five stars? The sound quality is great, but as an album "Waiting For The Sun" was never one of the Doors' strongest moments. Like "The Soft Parade," it has some excellent songs, but it never feels like a whole, complete work. There are still some classics here that sound just as timeless as ever, including "Hello, I Love You" which here shines with sharper instruments and keyboards, "Love Street" remains a tender ballad and "My Wild Love" is a wicked accapella. One of the best remixes here is "Summer's Almost Gone," here Botnick has managed to bring the drums back to life as well as Jim Morrison's vocals and Robby Krieger's dreamy slide guitar, this is the best the song has ever sounded. "Not To Touch The Earth" is a great, gothic epic that pounds harder here. "The Unknown Soldier" is a strong anti-war protest fitting for our times. "Five To One" rocks harder here, with Morrison's menacing, half-drunken soothsaying on the end of Flower Power. The other tracks of course sound better, but nothing can save a bad song. "Wintertime Love" is just lame filler and "Yes, The River Knows" is a sappy ballad Morrison's doesn't feel comfortable singing. The extras on this disc are not as appealing as the previous two albums' offerings. Here we get three needless takes of "Not To Touch The Earth," "Adagio In G Minor," which is already available on "American Prayer." Morrison's epic, ditched poem "The Celebration Of The Lizard" is included here, but it isn't much of a find anymore considering that yes, this has already been released in a previous set. The Doors remain one of rock's great revelations, and Morrison's theatrical, lyrical legacy is timeless, these remixes do justice to the music. A must for fans, purists should open their ears instead of closing them.



4. This is NOT somebody tampering with a classic. I put it in my car stereo and from the first drums fill on "Hello, I Love You" i could hear the clarity of the remix. It's still the same songs you've come to know and love so don't have a cow or anything. The only differences in the voclas aside from the clarity is that sometimes you hear Morrison scat-singing to himself during a solo or interlude of osme chatter in the studio. It's a classic rock album redefined with a clarity of modern day equipment. It doesn't sound like it was drowned in reverb like was the style so ofter in that era, but is actually clearer and more distinct and ultimately satisfying to the ear.
   The different versions of "Not To Touch The Earth" have a second slightly slower version in which the lyrics are almost read rather than sung and a third version excluding the guitar fills and, of course the long version "Celebration of The Lizard".



5. I've always felt that "Waiting For The Sun" is the Doors' most underrated album. It's often slammed for it's pop edge, but I think that helps make this one the band's most immediate and visceral release.
   
   This recent release, however, is a somewhat different album. The remix present here tends to emphasize the 'rock' side of the band more than the psychedelic. As a fan of psychedelia, this is sort of disappointing. Much of the compressed atmosphere of the original is opened up on the remix, but I feel that it robs the band of much of its mystery and makes them sound less distinctive. It's like a modern mix of vintage rock and doesn't quite work. With alternate instrumental and vocal parts appearing the new mix severely alters the feel of the original in a way that other modern mixes such as the stereo "Pet Sounds" does not.
   
   On the positive side, the new mix is a showcase for drummer John Densmore. He is a technically superior and musical drummer, and it's nice to hear him clearly here. Unfortunately, this is often at the expense of Morrison and the rest of the band. "Wintertime Love's" shuffling rhythm is awesome, but it works much better underpinning the song than right on time in a mix more reminiscent of a modern rock mix. "Five To One" really suffers musically as Krieger's guitar parts are practically buried, and listening to Morrison's vocals requires significantly more attention.
   
   The bonus tracks are of interest once or twice, but are not quite essential. "Albinoni's Adagio In G Minor" includes lots of recent overdubs and is more a piece of retrofitted history. A complete studio take of "The Celebration Of The Lizard" is very interested, but it's not in the same league as other Doors epics, and the best part of it is still the "Not To Touch The Earth" Section, which remains best heard in the original album version.
   
   This is still a great album, and the remix does offer a nice alternate perspective of the Doors. Still, if you want to hear this album at its best, you'd be best off finding a copy of the well remastered 1999 editions of the original mixes. I've already returned to the original mix after giving this one a few chances.

5 comments about Nil Recurring.

1. This is one of those rare EPs that is almost better than the album that inspired it. It is comprised of 4 songs that were leftovers from the "Fear of a Blank Planet" album, and after listening you wonder how they could have been left off at all.
   
   Heavy, dark, progressive and beautifully layered with soundscapes. One of PT's best. Highly recommended.



2. Porcupine Tree is a breath of fresh air with a touch of Floydian influence. I have a number of their CD's and am more impressed with every one that I purchase. Their songs are meaningful and well presented and the music is wonderful. The guitar work of Steve Wilson is awe inspiring and leaves you wanting more. I highly reccomend their CD's and their DVD.



3. all songs are great, although I like the orignal song 'Sentimental' (on previous album 'Fear for a blank planet') better then the remake 'Normal'



4. This EP takes a couple of listens to get, but it's highly rewarding. The first song (Nil Recurring)is the weak one (within PT high standards). The rest of the songs are all great, especially What Happens Now, which I've come to rate as one of my favorite PT songs.
   I have the FOABP DVD-A version which comes with 5.1 version of this album and it's worth every penny. If you have a capable system, try it.
   If you enjoy Deadwing or Fear of a Blank Planet, this is for you.



5. I do not know whether the mixes are the same,but I just looked at the double L.P.(one black, one blue) vinyl edition, in a nice gatefold sleeve, which I got for one of my sons(I doubt if he'll ever bother to play it, but the front cover 12"x12" looks pretty cool) and noticed that it includes these four tracks. The order is side A:Fear of a blank planet,My ashes,Cheating the polygraph. Side B:Anesthetize. Side C:Sentimental, Way out of here, Sleep togetherr. Side D:Nil recurring,Normal,What happens now.

3 comments about The Lost Tapes.

1. The second disc in this 2-CD set is not very "lost." It originally came out, minus the last track, on a vinyl Rhino LP called Cheaper Thrills. Then the British Edsel label put out a CD version called Live 1966, adding the last track (which is actually from 1967, recorded for the KQED radio station). Then the US Varese Sarabande label reissued it as Live In San Francisco 1966, plus there's some other CD reissue called, once again, Cheaper Thrills. The recording on the Varese Sarabande version (still available) is excellent, and both discs in this set are comparable.
   
   I imagine that there are plenty of reviews available for what appears here as Disc 2, so I'm going to confine myself to reviewing Disc 1. There's no recording date given but it sounds to me like it's from the same period, 1966. Almost all of the material that has studio versions is from the first album, and the band isn't as sharp as they got to be later on, with the great Cheap Thrills album and the Live At Winterland 1968 disc that came out a few years ago. Of the songs that overlap on the two discs there isn't a lot of qualitative difference that I can discern, so what's of primary interest on Disc 1 is the new material, some of it previously unheard in any performance.
   
   The Great White Guru is not so much a song as a repeated riff with Peter Albin telling a story over it, in the shouted southern preachin' style, about LSD. Amazing Grace this time comes in three parts. The first part is vocal harmony, in which Big Brother vies for the Grateful Dead's title for most wretched vocal harmonies ever (on the wonderful Live/Dead). It's not that, like the Dead, they can't hit the right notes (and what makes the Dead's efforts so spectacularly awful is that you usually can't even guess which notes they were trying to hit!)--what it sounds like to me is that Janis, Peter, and Sam Andrew are each singing in a different key! Following that there's a fast, punk-like run-through of the song with lots of choppy guitar chords; then that's followed by another Peter Albin sermon about LSD.
   It's a Deal is an okay but unexceptional blues-rocker. Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill actually is from the movie of the same name! The music for the film was written by Rick Jarrard, who produced Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow! The track doesn't sound like anything I remember from the movie, but the spoken introduction does refer to it as an unsuccessful art film for which the soundtrack album is more visible than the film itself. How times change! Today Russ Meyer's film is considered one of the independent exploitation classics.
   Turtle Blues is done here with full band backing. The piano version on Cheap Thrills is lots better, and there's no question that John Simon was wise to record it that way but it's an interesting curiosity to hear the song the way audiences were originally introduced to it.
   
   So, all in all, it's a fun but not great album which I enjoyed but won't listen to all that often. As I said, it's from a period before the band hit its peak- but it is a performance by a working band, not by Janis Joplin with a backing band. On the songs Peter sings, she mostly just adds a few cheerleader-like whoops that remind me a bit of what you hear on Bob Wills recordings. But when you listen to the songs on which she takes the lead, it's easy to tell that there's a superstar in the making. This recording an artifact from another time, and the large amount of spoken introductions between the songs give it a strong "you are there" feel-- but I suspect that the stage patter sounded a lot more witty then than it does now.



2. This is a Big Brother album not just Janis with backup. This is a band all working together which shows off Janis' , and everyone else's, power to its best I always felt. The guys sound great. Some of the early hippier songs like Amazing Grace are a real delight.



3. ...Big Brother and the Holding Company was a band which included a very talented, new female vocalist. This collection of recordings documents that wonderful year before they became Janis Joplin's backup band. Disc two's offerings have been given a sound-enhancing make-over that reveals subtle sonic details which previous releases of this material submerged in distortion. Disc two is, however, the star of the show, as most of this stuff has never before seen the light of day, unless on obscure bootlegs, and some of the songs can be heard nowhere else. The quality of the recording is better that that of disc two, and that matches the improved quality of the muscianship(James and Sam engage in some very interesting extended interplay). They're all a bit sloppy at times, but that was part of the San Francisco charm. Assuming this all came from the same show or series of shows, disc one's program was recorded in January 1967 at the Matrix in SF (8 months after disc two's show). Truncated teaser versions of "Amazing Grace" and "High-Heal Sneakers" appear on the album "Farewell Song"(with recording date noted). Here they are presented in full, complete with Peter Albin's acid-rant sermon, distorted guitar wailing from James and Sam, and melodic/rhythmic bits that would later evolve into their song "Catch Me Daddy". What comes out of both discs is just what BBHC was about as a real band. They were about taking musical chances, pushing their own and each other's envelopes, rocking out, and amusing their audience(at times, Peter Albin comes off as a cross between Dick Cavett and Tom Smothers -- witty, articulate, and strangely goofy). Too bad that so much had to change after Montery Pop..ped the magic bubble that encased this band in harmony. If your are a fan, you need this.