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  • 5CDs in a slipcase featuring:ForeignerDouble VisionHead Games4Agent Provocateur
    $24.00
  • Look what turned up in someone's attic! Archival live recording from Nottingham University on 1/24/76. Nothing unusual about the set but its a fine recording and a good representation of the band at their peak."Well, it is 2006 and here we have a new release by Renaissance, a band central to the first wave of Prog music in the 1970s with their classically orientated arrangements, distinctive orchestrated sound, and of course, the unmistakeable vocal talents of Annie Haslam. This single CD is from a recording made on Saturday 24th January 1976 by Realsound Mobile at a concert in the University of Nottingham, England and features just 6 of their best known songs played by the prime 70s line-up.It should be noted that this gig was played just seven months after their triumphant 3 night stint at the Carnegie Hall, complete with orchestra, which resulted in the highly respected 2CD set 'Live At Carnegie Hall' - all of these 6 tracks are also on that Carnegie Hall set, but this time they are played without an orchestra. This is what makes this CD so interesting - to hear how the same songs sound within a contemporary timeframe but without the orchestral arrangements.The origin of this recording has not been divulged other than what I have already mentioned. Clearly these are tapes that have been lying around for 30 years, but we are not told whether this CD has been mixed from original professionally recorded multi-track tapes or some other source. I suspect the latter, because the sound quality isn't great, specifically it has a stereo sound stage compressed toward the centre, something which would have been fixed had it been mixed from multi-track. The sound isn't bad - I have heard much much worse - but it could be a lot better, and it doesn't approach the clarity of the Carnegie Hall set. While the mid and upper registers are clear enough with good separation though somewhat subject to acoustic echo (especially some 'double hits' on snare drum), the lower frequencies wallow around in a muddiness that tends to swamp any intricate delicacies of bass guitar and drum kit when playing in ensemble. [I am reminded of a bootleg - a very high quality one maybe - but the sound and ambience is reminiscent of an audience recording, except there is not the usual amount of audience noise you would expect with a bootleg.]The quality of recording is excellent: there is no distortion; no drop-outs or glitches; noise (hiss) is only apparent during the very quietest passages; and all the instruments and voices sound solid. Audience noise is kept to a minimum with just the usual respectful applause: the exception being during a couple of very quiet moments when you can hear some distant chatter (maybe at the bar?), but this is not enough to interfere in any way. Generally, the mix is good, though in addition to the already mentioned problems, the piano (the main lead instrument) is a little too forward for my liking (and in any case sounds a bit odd) while the guitar and drumkit are often lost in the murk. Compared to the lush professional smoothness of the Carnegie set this album feels much more rough and raw, a more intimate recording from a smaller venue.The performers do their jobs well as always. Annie sounds wonderful, with just a little processing to give her voice more presence. She certainly hits all those high notes easily - I wouldn't have liked to stand next to her when belting out that final ear-shattering note near the end of Ashes Are Burning! John Tout on keyboards is the lead instrumentallist here, mainly on piano which works well where the part was created for piano (eg Prologue) but falls a little flat otherwise (eg Ashes Are Burning). He copes with the Song Of Scheherazade surprisingly well - by which I mean he does a good job of persuading the listener that you don't really miss the full orchestra backing! Jon Camp is an important and often overlooked ingredient in the classic Renaissance sound, and sadly he doesn't get enough opportunities to shine, but his bass playing is as faultless as always. Terry Sullivan's drumming and percussion is too often swamped in the mud, but he seems to be as much of a rock as usual. Michael Dunford tends to come and go: his delicate acoustic guitar is all too often swamped during the louder sections, which is a pity, but it is nice to hear his voice so clearly, both while singing solo and in harmony with Annie.The performances are what you might expect - imagine these songs on the Carnegie set but in an intimate setting without orchestra and you won't go far wrong as they are performed much the same, but with Tout filling in some of the empty spaces with synth washes and pads. Playing this album in isolation gives a great deal of pleasure and the songs sound natural and right in this environment. Even the Song Of Scheherazade, their orchestrated magnum opus, comes across very well indeed as the band pull together to generate a moving experience ........ that is, until you then hear the same song in all its orchestrated glory from Carnegie Hall (or, indeed, the original studio version) and suddenly you get the goose-bumps and realise there is no comparison! Good as this album is, it will inevitably be fated to be compared unfavourably to the Carnegie Hall performances. A particular example is the final track - Ashes Are Burning. The Carnegie Hall version is sublime and has me writhing is ecstacy - sadly this new version only has me writhing in .... well, almost boredom actually. From the mid-song instrumental jam onwards it is uninspired with a bit of bass, some synth and piano noodling, and, what is worse, there is no Hammond on this version! I am a sucker for that 3-note descending motif but without the Hammond it sounds quite ordinary, and Tout seems to have run out of ideas.This is not to say that this is a bad album. Far from it, it is a welcome and enjoyable addition to the collection of the Renaissance afficianado which gives a different slant on the material, and in much better quality than some of the extremely rough unauthorised recordings I have heard from this period. But neither is it essential, especially for those new to the band.One final point: it is nice to report that, for once, the record company - Major League Productions - have done a good job with the packaging. The inner booklet contains lots of photos of the band and tour memorabilia, proper credits, and some notes by Annie in which she reminisces on 'the old days' (eg how they used to stop off at a 'greasy spoon' motorway cafe in the middle of the night and she would always eat egg and chips etc)." - ProgArchives
    $8.00
  • "Klaus Schulze - the master of electronic music - will release with ""La Vie Electronique Vol. 15"" recordings from the years 1997 to 2000. With this edition the series 'La Vie Electronique"" comes to an end for the present. On CD 1 is the last of the 25 CDs in the JUBILEE EDITION set in 1997. Klaus recorded it during April 1997 in his studio. This long track is, as Klaus puts it: ""...for playing along to. The listeners and fans can add their own melodies and sounds. Harmony is in C. They can play to it in c minor, g minor and f minor"". Disc 2: The first two tracks (L'opera aperta & La tolleranza) are the second part and the encore of Klaus' solo concert in Bologna, Italy, on the 15th of December 1998 at the ""Teatro delle Celebrazioni"". The third track was especially recorded by Klaus for the ULTIMATE EDITION box in late October 1999. Disc 3: These three tracks are a collaboration with an old friend, the cello player Wolfgang Tiepold. Most of the Schulze aficionados know (and love) Schulze's vintage albums with Wolfgang. He visited Klaus in his studio again in summer 1999, twenty years after the two did some good things in concerts and on some albums (mainly ""X"" on which Tiepold also conducted the small orchestra for the famous Ludwig track)."
    $21.00
  • Lots of changes in the Mangala Vallis camp with this new release.  Bernardo Lanzetti is out, replaced by the great Rob Tiranti aka Rob Tyrant.  Many of you know Rob from his work in the metal world with Labyrinth but he has alway worked with New Trolls so he knows how to dial it back.  Great, great set of pipes.  The music has changed a bit too.  Its not as overtly retro although at times the keyboard sounds harken back to the 70s.  Definitely more of a contemporary neo feel.  Its a concept album about a hacker who infects the world with a virus that will destroy all the digital files on the planet.  Good times!
    $16.00
  • Oh so you say you want to get fancy?  How about the CD/DVD digipak edition?  The bonus DVD comes with live footage from the recording of the album as well as interviews.Second studio album from what may be the ultimate chops band.  Guthrie Govan (guitars), Bryan Beller (bass), and Marco Minnemann (drums) turn it up an notch further.  Everything is set to 11 on this one. Lots of notes flying around and different styles as well - on "Louisville Stomp: I'm hearing some cool country style pickin' from Guthrie Govan that is welcome and unexpected.  He sounds like the second coming of Danny Gatton.  Other tracks are a non-stop shredfest - that's what the Aristocrats are all about.  Highly recommended.
    $27.00
  • "Presenting radio with one of the best rock ballads ever, Cornerstone gave Chicago's Styx their big break with the number one single "Babe," which held that spot for two weeks in October of 1979. "Babe" is a smooth, keyboard-pampered love song that finally credited Dennis De Young's textured vocals. While this single helped the album climb all the way to the number two spot on the charts, the rest of the tracks from Cornerstone weren't nearly half as strong. "Why Me" made it to number 26, and both "Lights" and "Boat on the River" implement silky harmonies and welcoming choruses, yet failed to get off the ground. De Young's keyboards are effective without overly dominating the music, and the band's gritty rock & roll acerbity has been slightly sanded down to compliment the commercial market. The songs aren't as tight or assertive as their last few albums, but Shaw's presence can be felt strongly on most of the tracks, especially where the writing is concerned. Outside of "Babe," Cornerstone tends to sound a tad weaker than one would expect." - Allmusic guide
    $8.00
  • After the great international success of his last album "La quarta vittima" Fabio Zuffanti returns with a live in studio album. The album is the report of a tour that led to Fabio and his band around Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Canada. It summarizes twenty years of career of growing success and offers a kind of "best of" of his solo repertoire and than that of his bands Finisterre, la Maschera Di Cera and Höstsonaten.Zuffanti says: "During the concerts for "La quarta vittima Tour 2014" I wanted to realize a live album. Unfortunately, for a number of technical problems, we did not succeed but I told myself I had to do something to stop at least one of the gigs of this extraordinary band. In the absence of new concerts the best thing was to record an album "live in studio" with some of the songs that we played during the tour taken from "La quarta vittima" and other writing for Finisterre, Maschera Di Cera and Hostsonaten that I still feel very close to me.So, one day the whole group went to Hilary Audio Recording Studio and began playing live as we were in concert, unfortunately without an audience but with the same passion and intensity as ever. This is to close this period, say goodbye to our guitarist Matteo that leaves us to devote himself to the study of film music in Spain, thank our audience and prepare for the next steps."TRACKLISTIn LimineRainsuiteOrizzonte Degli EventiUna Sera D'InvernoLa Quarta VittimaNon Posso Parlare Più ForteLa Notte TrasparenteThe players:Martin Grice. Sax, fluteMatteo Nahum. GuitarGiovanni Pastorino. KeyboardsPaolo “Paolo” Tixi. DrumsFabio Zuffanti. Bass, bass pedals, vocals
    $16.00
  • "Marillion seems to be appealing to a commercially-oriented buying demographic with this album. There are parts of this record you'll love, and there are parts ... you might not. The band's work in the Hogarth era is marked by its variability - or some might say inconsistency. Although there have been some dud CDs, arguably including Radiation, Anoraknophobia and marillion.com, each of those records had some excellent songs. Similarly, the great albums had songs that were less than stellar. So it's generally safer to think of Marillion's work in terms of the songs rather than the CDs. Having said that, though - Somewhere Else probably fits somewhere between Marbles and marillion.com stylistically, and it's closer to .com in terms of quality.Somewhere Else doesn't share all of Marbles's progressive elements, its subtleties, or its general appeal. This music is a bit more linear, and it's very vocals-oriented. Steve Hogarth's singing is as emotion-laden as ever, switching effortlessly in and out of falsetto, and very expressive - in the style of "The Invisible Man" or "Angelina" from Marbles, or Radiohead's classic "Creep". But you might wish that he would stop singing for just a few minutes and let some instrumentals shine through. Steve Rothery's legendary guitar work is heard in only a few places, and Mark Kelly provides some very appealing piano lines, but there aren't any instrumentals to into which you can really sink your teeth."Most Toys" is a hard-hitting rocker with very simplistic lyrics that won't have much appeal to Marillion's traditional fanbase, although it might win them some commercial radio time. "Last Century for Man" also has simplistic lyrics with little subtlety, and a catchy melody that stays with you for days. There are no epics here, with 10 songs in just 52 minutes, and the title track (the longest at 8 minutes) is the standout piece with a meandering structure, gently appealing delivery and an almost minimalist approach to the instrumentals. Some might call it sleepy - but it definitely goes into the list of Marillion's better songs. Other highlights are the opening track "The Other Half", and "Thank You, Whoever You Are" - a fairly straightforward piece that features some nice but all-too-brief moments from Rothery's guitar.If Marillion is chasing after radio time, or if they're wooing the Coldplay / Radiohead / Pineapple Thief audience, this song-oriented record will probably get them there. But it will do so at the cost of a significant portion of their progressive rock fanbase." - Sea of Tranqulity
    $8.00
  • Quatermass were a killer "one and done" prog trio from the UK.  Consisting of John Gustafson (bass, vocals), Peter Robinson (keys), Mick Underwood (drums), Quatermass' music had a heaviness about it that could almost (but not quite) classify it as hard rock.  In fact Gustafson and Underwood went on to play with Ian Gillan.  Of course the star of the show is Peter Robinson, who you are probably more familiar with his later work with Brand X.  Hammond organ is the focus here and Robinson rips the hell out of it.  If you are a fan of ELP you should probably be checking this one out.The previous CD incarnation was released on Repertoire and has been unavailable for years.  This is a new CD/DVD edition.  It features a new stereo mix by Peter Robinson and includes 2 singles tracks as well as 2 previously unreleased tunes.  The DVD features the album in a 5.1 mix.  Highly recommended.
    $17.00
  • Fifth 3CD set culled from the Historic, Silver, and Ultimate Editions. This disc focuses on the prime years 1976-77.
    $20.00
  • "Riot has always been ahead of the curve, be it their powerful riff machine, or their unapologetic status as pioneers in the speed metal genre. I would like to take an opportunity to differ once again with the common viewpoint here, this is not “almost” Painkiller 2 years before; it is its doppelganger, at least in terms of kick ass aggressiveness and image. It is a more musical and complex answer to the thrash genre that it fathered; its spirit is that of a triumphant warrior cutting down its foes. While the heroic Painkiller soared through the sky putting fear into the hearts of his enemies, Thundersteel’s half-cyborg/half-tank body stood tall to face them on the ground.In 1988 metal was mostly known by its image, and if you judge these guys by that alone, they look like the bastard sons of Motley Crue and Judas Priest. But when Tony Moore blasts his high banshee voice into the microphone, he sounds like a crazed Viking Berserker ready to behead an army of frightened Romans. Mark Reale, the only remaining originator of this outfit, wields his guitar like a battle axe and challenges the likes of K.K. Downing, Dave Murray and Ross the Boss. Bobby Jarzombek, who is well known for his work with Rob Halford’s solo project, as well as several other bands, gives the performance of his life on here. Don Van Stavern keeps the bottom end solid and has a wicked bass intro in “Johnny’s Back”.There is never a dull moment on this album, from start to finish it grabs you by the throat and commands you to praise the Gods of Metal. Be it the fast as hell title track, which rivals anything Judas Priest has ever put out, or the more moderated Deep Purple riff monster “Sign of the Crimson Storm”, it screams metal. You’ve got an anthem of rebellion and non-conformity at warp speed like “Johnny’s Back” in the running, or the Manowar inspired heavy ballad “Bloodstreets”, which gives Heart of Steel a run for its money. “Fight or Fall” and “Flight of the Warrior” have memorable choruses and plenty of amazing lead work, all done by the original speed metal riff man Mark Reale, while “On Wings of Eagles” is a better produced version of something you might find on Kill Em’ All.We’ve got two highlights on this album, both of which are a good bit different than the lion’s share of speed driven songs on here. “Run for your life” is an upper mid-tempo crusher with tons of great lead guitar work, but it’s true charm is the chorus, which reminds me a bit of the high/low vocal interchanges that you hear on Dio’s early material. “Buried Alive (The Tell Tale Heart)” is actually a bit reminiscent of Crimson Glory’s work on Transcendence, which came out the same year that this did. You’ve got a rather odd spoken intro with a clean and somber guitar line, followed by some brilliant twin guitar soloing (all done by one guy, just the same way Tony Iommi did it). After 3 minutes of mind-blowing, we get a slow and evil sounding groove that grows into a brilliant homage to the NWOBHM, names like Iron Maiden and Angel Witch come to mind.In conclusion, this is a piece of metal history that demands to be listened to. If you are a power metal fan who lives for speed and melody, get your tight jeans wearing ass to the store right now. If you’re a holdover from the glory days of traditional metal and you don’t have it, get it now or risk having your credentials as a metal head questioned. If you love thrash with attitude, this gives the bands that carry that label a run for their money. Fans of Judas Priest, Manowar, Helloween, Running Wild, and Iron Maiden in particular will love this. There is a new power alive in the distance, carrying a fully charged plasma cannon, followed by an army of true metal warriors, and his name is “Thundersteel”." - Metal Archives
    $7.50
  • "The posthumously assembled ten-track outtakes collection The Sky Is Crying actually proves to be one of Stevie Ray Vaughan's most consistent albums, rivaling In Step as the best outside of the Greatest Hits collection. These songs were recorded in sessions spanning from 1984's Couldn't Stand the Weather to 1989's In Step and were left off of the LPs for whatever reason (or, in the case of Soul to Soul's "Empty Arms," a different version was used). What makes the record work is its eclectic diversity -- Vaughan plays slide guitar on "Boot Hill" and acoustic on "Life by the Drop"; he smokes on the slow blues of "May I Have a Talk With You" and the title track just as much as on the up-tempo Lonnie Mack cover, "Wham"; and he shows the jazzy side of his playing on Hendrix's "Little Wing" and Kenny Burrell's "Chitlins Con Carne." But it's not just musical diversity that makes the record work, it's also Vaughan's emotional range. From the morbidly dark "Boot Hill" to the lilting "Little Wing" to the exuberant tributes to his influences -- Lonnie Mack on "Wham" and Albert King on "The Sky Is Crying" -- Vaughan makes the material resonate, and in light of his death, "The Sky Is Crying" and the touching survivor-story ballad "Life by the Drop" are two of the most moving moments in Vaughan's oeuvre." - Allmusic
    $7.50
  • Well I guess the Odin tape vault has been opened after all these years. In addition to Long Hair Music's SWF release we get this live recording from Maxim club in Schweinfurt, Germany in September 1971. Its a mix of original and voer tunes. Detailed liner notes from Jeff Beer round out the package.
    $23.00
  • The Custodian is a new British post-progressive rock band formed by Richard Thomson, vocalist for cinematic death metal band Xerath.  Unlike Xerath, The Custodian is an outlet for the more melodic, rock oriented writing from Thomson.While there are moments in the album that harken back to old school bands like Genesis and Yes, the music of The Custodian is contemporary in sound.  Necessary Wasted Time is an album full of dynamics - light and dark shadings balancing acoustic vs electric, heavy vs pastoral.  While atmospherics and tension are a strong component of the album, the band demonstrates their adept musicianship offering up long instrumental passages to complement the emotion filled vocals.  When needed the band unleashes some complex electric runs.The Custodian's debut should deeply resonate with fans of Steven Wilson, Riverside, Pineapple Thief, and Anathema.Necessary Wasted Time was mixed by noted engineer Jacob Hansen and give the full audiophile mastering treatment from Bob Katz. 
    $5.00