Needle Time

  Dif Juz - Extractions [CAD 505 UK 1985 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] A final one from me for about four weeks.... Whilst not strictly jazz, the Dif Juz interpretation of 'duff jazz' should appeal widely as it crosses over between jazz, instrumental rock, plus ambient and ethereal indie-pop. Please consider this a significant upgrade to any of my previous rips. The concept of melodic instrumental rock crossover music is not new, and kids these days have grown up on a diet of Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky and a plethora of other so-named post-rock bands. Whereas the modern genre grew from a blend of modern progressive rock and late eighties 'wall-of-sound' shoegaze, Dif Juz were from a different era - a time where the mainstream and the alternative where millions of miles apart and blending simple shimmering melodic interludes performed on just bass, guitar & drums with occasional abstract jazz reflections from a lone saxophone wasn't quite so hip. Mogwai original viny...

  Miles Davis - In A Silent Way [19075950651 EU 2019 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I usually deal in jazz on a Sunday, but other factors will not allow this for a few more weeks, so here's some Miles on a Saturday. Originally released on CBS/Columbia Records in 1969, In A Silent Way marked the trumpeter's move into the realms of fusion, upsetting many in the jazz world, however at the same time, gaining huge appreciation from a considerably wider audience.  This is a remarkable album, which led the way in the genre where all others just followed. The line-up of musical talent is both eye and ear catching. Davis on trumpet, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on keyboards, John McLaughlin on guitar and Wayne Shorter on saxophone. The Dave Holland and Tony Williams rhythm section drive the whole album along.  Sony Music do not reveal their lineage for this 2019 50th anniversary reissue, although it was mastered by Daniel Krieger at SST and pressed by MPO in France. It is now ...

  Fleetwood Mac - The Pious Bird Of Good Omen [7-63215 DEU 2007 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] I did say that you could expect the occasional post during my hiatus, so here's the first of possibly two this weekend... In the current demand for clarity of source information from the vinyl community, German label Speakers Corner Records have always confirmed the lineage of their releases. Whilst compilation albums could never be from original recording master tapes, this reissue of Fleetwood Mac's 1969 compilation was mastered and cut from analogue tapes on an analogue system and then pressed by Pallas in Germany. This isn't the sunny Los Angeles soft-rock of the seventies Fleetwood Mac, this is the original Peter Green fronted blues line-up with a mix of eight original classics and four covers.  A1 Need Your Love So Bad A2 Coming Home A3 Rambling Pony A4 The Big Boat A5 I Believe My Time Ain't Long A6 The Sun Is Shining B1 Albatross B2 Black Magic Woman B3 Just...

  Placebo - Ball Of Eyes [MOVLP 1091 NLD RSD2014 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Expect to pay a small fortune for original pressings of Belgian funk-jazz-fusion troupe Placebo's debut long player. This RSD2014 reissue was pressed at the very same plant as the CBS Records original in The Netherlands. It is not clear what source was used for this repress, Music On Vinyl rarely reveal such details, however they don't suggest it is direct from the original master & charge you three times the price. Recorded over four hot nights in Brussels during August 1971, Ball of Eyes kicks off with a plucky & funky cover of Marvin Gaye's  Inner City Blues - just wait till that bass hits your speakers. You Got Me Hummin ' is a rare vocal rock-fusion track which could easily have originated from the USA in the early seventies. Planes, Humpty Dumpty and   Showbiz Suite  are experimental jazz-fusion. Aria is smoothly sublime groove. The title track is no more than a Marc Moulin pi...

  Airto - Free [GP-3093 JPN 1977 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] If you don't mind, it is time for a little self indulgence - my Japanese repress of Airto Moreira's third album Free , originally released in 1973. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey and featuring a whole plethora of talent; Ron Carter & Stanley Clarke on bass, Keith Jarrett & Chick Corea on piano, George Benson on guitar, alongside the Brazilian master on flute & percussion. A1 Return To Forever A2 Flora's Song B1 Free B2 Lucky Southern B3 Creek (Arroio)

  Yellow Magic Orchestra - Yellow Magic Orchestra (US Remix) [ALR-6020 JPN 1979 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] Flicking through my shelves of Japanese purchases, I realised that I had never ripped my original 1979 Japanese pressing of the US Remix of their self-titled debut album. Mixed by Al Schmitt for Horizon Records, this version was released in parallel on Alfa Records.  With a little more oomph in the bass, brighter highs and a clearer, wider sound stage, this mix is much more suited to western ears. Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi have become musical icons since, as they gained recognition as key influencers (now, there is an over-used term these days) in electronic music all over the globe. Kraftwerk often sit atop the electronic music pyramid, however it was YMO who took the genre further, blending real drums and bass guitar into their magical mix of electronica. No more is this evident of the excellent jazzadelic Cosmic Surfin' and the nipponic t...

  Xymox - Twist Of Shadows [839 233-1 UK 1989 24-Bit 176.4kHz FLAC] When Pieter Nooten left Clan Of Xymox, these moody Dutch synth-goths left 4AD, reverted to just Xymox, and signed a deal for their own Wing Records label with Polydor, making Twist Of Shadows their major label debut. I've been keen to revisit this album and this time go for a high resolution rip .....I suggest it sounds bloody great! Essentially dark-edged synthpop, Twist Of Shadows is complimented by string arrangements by Tony Visconti and a lush production by Peter Walsh. Their final 4AD single, Blind Hearts gets a lighter re-working - considering this was the late eighties when modern music was going through seismic changes, one of the very best bands to come out of the low countries was to find success across the Atlantic and continue to grow their fan base across Europe.  I don't think there is a duff track on this record - our Dutch friends clearly have a better ear for a good tune than many of...