Steppenwolf - Early Steppenwolf (1969)

This is actually Canadian band Sparrow who migrated to Los Angeles and then ended up in San Francisco where they were active in the ballroom scene there, before becoming Steppenwolf and finding great success. Reviews are mixed on this, with nobody saying this is the greatest album ever and one guy saying "This Sucks"! Well I'm gonna ignore him, because 1) What does he know? and 2) I paid good money for this long-out-of-print CD, and 3) it's actually a pretty cool album. The Sparrow was a lot more bluesy than Steppenwolf, and these live tracks have a real loose garagey feel about them. I'm thinking these guys were stoners (!) and maybe missed a few practice sessions around this time. It was the "Summer of Love" after all. Apparently the owner of The Matrix recorded a few shows without the guys in Sparrow even knowing it, so if nothing else this is an unvarnished slice of hippie history.

"Listen to this CD, and hear history in the making. While this CD has a rough, garage-band sound, it also has undeniable power. The talent behind the music is obvious. Here is a chance to listen to some early versions of later classics (Power Play, Tighten Up Your Wig, Corinna, Corinna and The Pusher). The CD starts out with a slower, bluesier version of Power Play than the one on Monster. Howling Wolf's Howling for My Baby is guaranteed to make you want to move, or at least to tap your foot. Another standout is a beautiful version of Corinna, Corinna that I believe is far superior to the version on Steppenwolf Live. It starts with an amazing guitar riff and also has a nice guitar break. The CD winds up with an extremely extended version of The Pusher, which is mostly just improvisation. Get this CD and hear the beginnings of one of the most influential bands in rock." (amazon.com)

1. "Power Play" (Kay) – 2:55
2. "Howlin' for My Darlin'" (Dixon, Howlin' Wolf) – 4:53
3. "I'm Going Upstairs" (Hooker) – 7:14
4. "Corina, Corina" (Arranged and Adapted by John Kay) – 3:54
5. "Tighten up Your Wig" (Kay) – 3:14
6. "The Pusher" (Hoyt Axton) – 21:27

John Kay - Guitar, Vocals, Liner Notes
Mars Bonfire - Guitar
Nick St. Nicholas - Bass
Jerry Edmonton - Drums
Goldie McJohn - Keyboards, Organ

EAC-FLAC-LOG-CUE-SCANS 260 MB

Part 1__Part 2__Part 3

See ya

The Move - Shazam (1970)

One of the best albums of early 70's British rock, The Move's second release began the transition from psychedelic pop to what would eventually become the Electric Light Orchestra. This is the remaster from 1998 with a buncha live bonus tracks.

1. Hello Susie
2. Beautiful Daughter
3. Cherry Blossom Clinic Revisited
4. Fields of People
5. Don't Make My Baby Blue
6. Last Thing on My Mind
7. So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star [Live]
8. Stephanie Knows Who [Live]
9. Something Else [Live]
10. It'll Be Me [Live]
11. Sunshine Help Me [Live]
12. Piece of My Heart [Previously Unreleased Live EP Outtakes]
13. Too Much in Love [Previously Unreleased Live EP Outtakes]
14. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher [Live]
15. Sunshine Help Me [Previously Unreleased Live EP Outtakes]

Roy Wood - lead vocals, guitars; keyboards.
Bev Bevan - drums.
Carl Wayne - lead vocals; guitars.
Rick Price - vocals, bass.

Not my rip. Separate flac files, artwork 420MB

Thanks to original uploader!

Part 1__Part 2__Part 3

Later.

'Zabba' Lindner & Carsten Bohn - Voll Bedienung Of Percussion (1974)

"Rare CD reissue of the album recorded in 1974 for Brain by the drummers from Tomorrow's Gift and Frumpy. An excellent and surprising percussion album that stands up along with other classics of the genre (such as the Grateful Dead offshoots Diga Rhythm Band and Rhythm Devils) There are some spaced out moments on this disc and if you want the full Kraut Rock take on percussion then this is certainly it!" (Freak Emporium)

"Two of the most accomplished of Krautrock drummers, integral to the Hamburg scene, Zabba Lindner (from Tomorrow's Gift) and Carsten Bohn (from Frumpy) weren't simply satisfied with making rock music, and between them made one of the most exceptional and innovative of multi-percussion albums. The record VOLL BEDIENUNG OF PERCUSSION (in English "Various Aspects of Percussion") mixed spacious polyphony with dynamic rhythmic structures, ranging from cosmic and gothic realms, via classical and avant-garde musics onto frenzied rock riffing. It covered much more that you'd normally expect from a percussion album. The musicians' backgrounds had given them plenty of scope for creativity and invention, resulting in a wealth of surprises. To promote the LP a live group was formed featuring other renowned drummers like Udo Lindenberg, Mani Neumeier and Lucky Schmidt, as well as international drummers." (Crack In The Cosmic Egg)

1. The Long Way Of Drums
2. Bells & Traffic
3. Manne's Melody
4. Look, Living
5. Discothec - Rassa Lia

Wolfgang "Zabba" Lindner & Carsten Bohn - drums, cymbals, congas, timbales, bongos, glocken, kleine & grosse gongs, pauken, posamento, tamtam, marschtrommeln, tick, tack, klick, klack, bumm, handpercussion, klavier, kirchenchor, orgel, vibraphon

EAC-FLAC-LOG-CUE-SCANS 199 MB

Part 1__Part 2__Part 3

8 Days In April - The Hamburg Scene (1972)

I have been looking for a CD copy of this album for years with no luck and I was stoked when it showed up as a CD rip on a mystery forum. Thanks to the original uploader, uheep2, and thanks for permission to share it here. The CD is obviously a bootleg since there has been no official release - "Hamburg" was spelled "Hamnburg" on the back cover (Fixed with Photoshop), but the sound is great. This is basically Frumpy keyboardist Jean-Jacques Kravetz fronting the Udo Lindenberg band, with Lindenberg writing almost all the material. Frumpy singer Inga Rumpf provides vocals for the first track, from then on it's mostly an instrumental album. This is a stellar album of laid-back low-key progressive rock performed by brilliant musicians, with guitarist Thomas Kretzschmer being a real standout!

1. I'd Like To Be A Child Again (9:35)
2. Ann Toomuch (7:55)
3. Routes (7:27)
4. When The Dream Is Over (3:14)
5. Master Of Time (9:40)

Udo Lindenberg - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Jean-Jacques Kravetz - Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Percussion
Steffi Stephan - Bass
Thomas Kretzschmer - Guitar
Inga Rumpf - Vocals
Roger Hook - 12 String Guitar

Not my rip - Separate flacs,log, cue, covers, 238 MB

Part 1__Part 2__Part 3

Cheers!