It may be a new year but the forum is still buggy, crashed out yesterday so things have been delayed.  Hey the forum being buggy is all right with me.  It's a little quirky, just like the inmates who inhabit the place.  Only reason I'm still here is the place is not sterile, corporate and buttoned-down.

 
Format's simple:  Name of artist or group, name of album, type of music as best you can (rock, blues etc.), and recording format (cd, lp etc.)
As usual I'll start it off with:

 
Electric Light Orchestra, "Discovery", lp, disco. Yeah these guys are supposed to be rock arena gods, but mostly this lp is all about the Beatles doing disco.  Also Motown (cheezy strings) meets merry-on-the mersey.  

I love it! Contains some of their biggest hits, "Last Train to London, "The diary of Horace Wimp" and "Don't Bring me Down", the latter cut channeling the Moody Blues.  Fantastically well recorded.  This is before they wen't to the Moog synthesizers for the strings and their greatest album.  Pick it up, or if you haven't played it in awhile, give it a dusting and put it on.

So what do you have to share this week? 

Rush,  "All the World's a Stage" (LIVE)......great classic album featuring Geddy Lee and Neil Peart on drums.   All great musicians in their day,   and released even more albums that reached the top 40.  One tight 3-man band IMO and not many that can rival this trio.  Interestingly enough (see link),  the band released a LIVE version after every 4TH studio release. 

 Sorry TheBes,  NO Neil Sedaka this week

 Well,  here is one critics response:

http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/display.php?rev=rush-atwas

I haven't posted anything here in a while. I highly recommend digging up an old copy of Parallel Lines by Blondie.  Thanks to another thread here on the forum, I ran across a treasure trove of Blondie videos on youtube and I've been mesmerized ever since.  My old college girlfriend looked just like Deborah Harry - I mean she was a dead ringer, down to the same facial expresions and everything.  She was wild too and a lot of fun - always up for some sort of mayhem.  I still can't help but to think of her whenever I see any image of Deborah Harry. 

Here is a cool video of Heart of Glass, sorta goes along with the disco theme too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Cwu5gOOpM&mode=related&search=

Boy Thebes, this Holiday season has you running slow......................EH? Dtel asked about this album, so I might as well do this 70's Classic Gem by one of my favorite bands...............

TRAFFIC.....................The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys........................CD...........................1971..................

Where to begin, after the break up of the original band with Steve, Chris, Jim, and Dave Mason, not sure what the problem with Dave and Steve was, the remaining 3 members recorded John Barleycorn Must Die, another classic Traffic outing, Steve and the boys headed to Muscle Shoals recording studio, you know, the one out in the middle of a cotton field, to do this album. Using Muscle Shoals rythmn section ; Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, and David Hood, and old buddy Reboop they put out this fine album. This to me anyway, is a far more polished piece of work than they have ever done. At the time I first heard this album, I was totally blown away by the sound, that haunting, slow building intro into Low Spark, such a great piece of work.Produced by Steve Winwood himself, this is a fitting album to showcase his talents..........................I knew about Steve, was already a fan, and this was the icing on the cake......................

1. Hidden Treasure

2. The Low Spark of High heeled Boys

3. Rock and Roll Stew

4. Many A Mile to Freedom

5. Light Up or Leave Me Alone

6. Rainmaker

Jim Capaldi has never sang better than on Light Up.............Jim and Steve wrote 5 out of 6 songs on this album.......If I was buying this disc today, I would try to find a Remastered version, I'm sure there is such a thing, the early CD's like I have do show the limitations of the source tape, So a cleaner version would be better. I have met people who are turned off by the title, and won't listen to it, that is their loss. this is again, a must have if you are a Traffic fan. I find it different from the Early Traffic days, and to be quite honest, they never matched this album again, with the exception of On The Road, the live album with the same band..................This was their Peak........Chris Wood and Jim Capaldi are now members of God's band............Steve still remains a talent, the voice of my generation, if you will.................and all that's left is the memories......So , if you don't have it, get it, or borrow it, give it a listen.......and......."Light Up or Leave Me Alone"................INDEED............

Can we double post?    Listening to the TEAC on headphones last night:

 YES,  "Rhythm of Love",   from the LP,  Big Generator.   What more can be said about Jon Anderson and Chris Squire,  but alas w/o Rick Wakeman on keyboards.   One of the most highly talented bands of the seventies and eighties even during the transitional years.   This band never lost creativity and to the best of my knowledge had a TOP 40 hit from almost each album.   This particular album was not as popular as "Fragile",   "90125",  or "Union",  and is IMO more commercialized.   Of course, their was dissension between the (2) leaders,  as indicated within the link I have provided.   Any YES fans,  should appreciate the review.

http://www.tranglos.com/marek/yes/tr_35.html

Wow Sputnik, Deborah Harry always intrigued me.  Love the pic.  She just has that "real" quality that seems to be missing so much today, maybe it's her edgy attitude.

For this week it's Oscar Peterson--Nigerian Marketplace/LP--Pablo Digital Live in red vinyl/Jazz.  Great jazz trio, very accessible, nice live recording.

Hey oldtimer,

Thanks for putting me onto those Blondie videos. 

I very much agree with Klipsched with Yamahas, the first concert I ever went to think it was 1978 or 79. My wonderful sister took me and my cousin, she didn't even like Rush. Saw them two more times.