Amazon Music Bestsellers and Deals

Monday 6 January 2020

"MUSIC ON CD" Label - Some Cool Reissues in January/February 2020 of CD Rarities and Desirables

Some Cool Rock CD Reissues 
Coming your way in January/February 2020 on the 
MUSIC ON CD Label 

From Universal's Euro Reissue Label Imprint
Most are simply reissues of former remasters with a simply inlay
They usually come in a round-corner jewel case

"Olias Of Sunhillow" 
by YES frontman JON ANDERSON
Brilliant and Beautiful 1975 First Solo Album originally on Atlantic Records in elaborate artwork
There's been an Audiophile Reissue in the USA and Japanese Mini LP 
But Both of these Remasters are long deleted and hugely pricey
Not sure which Remaster (if any) Music On CD are using
But nice to see the album finally on a better CD than the naff 90s issue on WEA
MUSIC ON CD Release Date: 17 January 2020 (see link below)


"The Clarke/Duke Project" 
STANLEY CLARKE and GEORGE DUKE 
Reissue of their April 1981 Jazz-Funk LP on Epic Records 
MUSIC ON CD Label Release Date: 17 January 2020


"Home Made Ice Cream" 
TONY JOE WHITE's Third Album for Warner Brothers issued June 1973 
Last time a decent remaster was made available for this wickedly good and groovy album
Was The February 2015 Real Gone Music 2CD Anthology
"The Complete Warner Brothers Recordings" on Real Gone RGM-0329 (Barcode 848064003298)
Album contains "Backwoods Preacher Man" and "Did Somebody Make A Fool Out Of You"
MUSIC ON CD Label Release Date: 24 January 2020 (see link below)


"Mutineer"
WARREN ZEVON's July 1995 LP originally on RCA Records
Has been off radar for years and any reissue of his is manna to my ears
A huge talent
MUSIC ON CD Label Release Date: 31 January 2020



"Nils Lofgren"
NILS LOFGREN
His Hugely Revered and Loved April 1975 Debut Solo Album after CRAZY HORSE and GRIN
Originally on A&M Records (USA and UK)
With "Goin' Back", "Keith Don't Go", "One More Saturday Night", "The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet" and "Rock And Roll Crook"
As a reissue Remaster this albums has been on Hip-O Select (2007)
and as a part of his expensive "Face The Music" career retrospective Box Set from 2014
For such a great album, it's been surprisingly hard to find on CD hard copy
A Smart Reissue of "The Fat Man" Album
MUSIC ON CD Label Release Date: 7 February 2020

Thursday 2 January 2020

"Four Weddings And A Funeral" The 2019 TV Show Season 1 (10 Episodes) - A Review by Mark Barry...



"...Missandei Does A Dracarys in London..." 

"Four Weddings And A Funeral" - The 2019 TV SHOW

Let's be realistic here – for sure Season 1 of "Four Weddings And A Funeral - The TV Series" is hardly The Marx Brothers or The Coen Brothers or any other Brothers for that matter - so I can sort of understand the 45% to middling ratings for this 2019 HULA TV show on Rotten Tomatoes and other review sites.

But frankly those mean-spirited statistics are just way too harsh. With the same warmth and wit as the original 1994 movie that made Hugh Grant a star and Andie MacDowell and Kristen Scott Thomas household names - this 2019 TV Season of 10 episodes is very, very funny in places, surprisingly touching too and sports a hugely diverse and likeable cast given damn good writing to work with (there are breakout parts in here aplenty for so many of these new faces).

For sure the clichés and pastiches come hurtling at you very early on and some of the relationships like the impossibly gorgeous Maya and the nerdy Duffy just don't convince properly (even by episode 4). But there is much else to love and be happy about here. The appearances of the original film's cast in minor roles is cleverly paced (there is a nod to passing time and character roundups from "Notting Hill" in one of the later episodes that is brilliantly done) - the gals and guys are gorgeous to look at and given real witty and serious written meat to work with as the highs and lows pile up – Dermot Mulroney is a great introduction half way through and each principal character gets to stretch out as the episodes unfold.

Filling in for the scene-stealing and life-affirming Simon Callow role in the original film is a typically brill and acidic Alex Jennings. He plays a seemingly openly gay British MP who nonetheless has commitment issues that stretch way past his personal life and into the content of speeches he needs to back up and not just make for image-beneficial-effect. The young Guz Khan and the old-hand Harish Patel provide lots of laughs and genuine warmth as the Pakistani Hounslow crew supporting the will he-won't-he become an actor ambitions of lead character Kash (Nikesh Patel) who longs to be with Maya (as does she) but neither want to hurt friends, family or tradition. Special mention should also go to Zoe Boyle as the extraordinarily prudish Gemma who is simply brilliant as a rich and sort of pointless neighbour in what could have been a very difficult role for any one to like and yet gives a speech at a funeral that left me in tears of admiration. It's deep as well as bloody good fun...

Speaking of special mentions – Sophia La Porta as the big-chested perfect teethed Essex babe with a mouth that just doesn’t know when to quit is Gemma Collins fab - lighting up the screen every time she shows up in another ridiculously tight dress (Brandon Mychal Smith plays her lucky love interest Craig and matches her blow for blow too). The "Love Chalet" episode for instance clearly based on a "Love Island" reality show episode where Craig's girlfriend starts showing her booty to the world to make her boyfriend jealous is a hoot - everyone is sleeping with everyone else - muscle-bound brain-dead types display their lack of basic English and even smaller budgie-smuggler swimming trunks while be-atches in bikinis complain about European politics and nail polish (these are people we've actually seen on tele in the last few years). And once again Game of Thrones' Natalie Emmanuel (Maya) and The Mindy Project's Rebecca Rittenhouse (Ainsley) look so ludicrously beautiful all the time in a vast array of cool outfits that its hard to imagine any man could concentrate around them let alone converse with such obvious goddesses. And on it goes through ups and downs.

With Richard Curtis as an Executive Producer, great locations in London used and a boozy Saturday night sense of fun - "Four Weddings And A Funeral - The TV Series" is exactly the kind of Seasonal Cheer your drag-January needs. And I was kind of gutted when it ended. Dig in and enjoy...

Friday 27 December 2019

1967 to 1977 - "CADENCE / CASCADE" - PROG ROCK PSYCH AVANT GARDE - Your Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters by MARK BARRY...

The SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series...


CADENCE / CASCADE
PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE
And Other Genres Thereabouts
1967 to 1977...

351 Reviews Available In My
SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites
CADENCE / CASCADE 
PROG ROCK, PSYCH, AVANT GARDE...
And Others Genres Thereabouts
Exceptional CD Remasters

Covering 1967 to 1977 - It Also Focuses On
Fusion Rock, Acid Folk, Art Rock and Underground 
Just Click Below To Purchase
Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs
(No Cut and Paste Crap)




* CONTENT: Huge 2,467 E-pages, 351 in-depth reviews from discs themselves, March 2024 update
* PRICE RANGE: Vast majority of these reviews are for standard CDs ranging from £3 to £20 - most under £10 - some box sets up to £100
* FORMATS: Apart from standard CD other formats include - SACD [Super Audio CD], HDCD [High Density Compatible Digital], Japan SHM-CD and Japan Platinum SHM-CD  [Super High Materials]
* MAJOR LABELS: All major record companies covered Sony/Legacy, Universal, WEA, EMI etc. including Major Box Set Retrospectives
* INDIE LABELS: Best Independent Reissue Labels highlighted...

– Ace, Audio Fidelity, Bear Family, Beats Goes On, Big Break Records, Cherry Red, Edsel, Esoteric Recordings, Grapefruit, Hip-O Select, Lemon, Light In The Attic, Mobile Fidelity, Raven, Real Gone Music, Repertoire, Rev-Ola, Rhino, Rock Candy, RPM, Salvo, Sundazed and Panegyric
* DATA: Technical data from the discs themselves (total playing times and more), Release Date, Catalogue No and Barcode to locate the correct issue
* DETAILS: Track lists and Details on Bonus material (if any)
* DISCOGRAPHIES: Vinyl Discographies referencing CD Box sets (track numbers to sequence singles and albums from the discs), UK and US catalogue numbers and release dates for original vinyl albums, 7” singles and EPs within each review
* AUDIO DETAILS: Remaster/Tape Transfer Engineers highlighted
* PACKAGING: Packaging description

SEVENTIES RECORD LABELS covered by the book include:
ABC, ABC/Dunhill, A&M, Anchor, Apple, Ardent, Asylum, Atlantic/Atco, Bearsville, Blue Horizon, Capitol, Capricorn, CBS, Charisma, Chrysalis, Columbia, Dandelion, Dawn, Decca, Deram (Nova), DJM, Elektra, EMI, Epic, Fantasy, Fly, Fontana, Harvest, Immediate, Island, Kapp, Liberty, London, Marmalade, MCA, Mercury, MGM, Monument, Mooncrest, Parlophone, Parrot, Polydor, Probe, Purple, Pye International, RAK, Rare Earth, RCA Victor, Reaction, Reprise, Rolling Stones, RSO, Shelter, Sire, Smash, Straight, Sussex, Track, Trojan, Uni, Vanguard, Vertigo, Verve, Virgin, United Artists and Warner Brothers

Having worked for RECKLESS RECORDS in London's Soho for over 20 years as one of their principal Vinyl and CD buyers (one of the best secondhand record shops in the West End) and having been an Amazon 'Hall of Fame' reviewer six times - as you can imagine - I came across (and still do) a huge number of reissues - some far more worthy than others.

To that end I've collated together these SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOKS Series as guides to Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters offering up in-depth reviews on a wide range of titles. 

And it doesn't have to cost the earth to Sound Good either – you just need to know which CD is the right issue to buy. Many entries in this large and unique book cost less than £10 while others are under a fiver. And even if some Box Sets/Deletions have acquired a price tag - because they’re the best I’ve included them along with artists/titles that deserve your attention

Hope you enjoy the reads - MARK BARRY (March 2024)

Wednesday 25 December 2019

1973 - "US AND THEM" - Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters - A SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK by Mark Barry...

The SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series...

1973
US AND THEM

Your All-Genres Guide To
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters 
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s
Over 2,800 E-Pages of In-Depth Information
320 Reviews From The Discs Themselves...
50th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE









* Almost 2,800 E-pages of information
* 320 in-depth reviews for quality CD Remasters 
* December 2023 Draft 
* Formats included - CD, SACD [Super Audio CD], HDCD [High Density Compatible Digital], Japan SHM-CD and Japan Platinum SHM-CD  [Super High Materials]
* Major Label Box Set Retrospectives from – EMI, Sony/Legacy, Universal and WEA
* Best Independent Reissue Labels highlighted...
– Ace, Audio Fidelity, Bear Family, Beats Goes On, Big Break Records (BBR), Cherry Red, Earth, Edsel, Esoteric Recordings, Grapefruit, Hip-O Select, Lemon, Light In The Attic, Mobile Fidelity, Raven, Repertoire, Rev-Ola, Rhino, Salvo, Soul Music Records, Sundazed and Panegyric
* Technical data from the discs themselves (total playing times and more)
* Release Date, Catalogue No and Barcode to locate the correct issue
* CD Track lists and Details on Bonus material (if any)
* VINYL Discographies referencing CD Box sets (track numbers to sequence singles and albums from the discs – huge number of record labels covered
* UK and US catalogue numbers and release dates for original vinyl albums, 7” singles and EPs within each review
* Remaster/Tape Transfer Engineers highlighted
* Packaging descriptions, size of booklets, what’s contained within, who wrote the liner notes, repro artwork explained
* Reference to the Audio Quality of the CD - analysis of songs
* Guest Musicians highlighted – Cover Versions noted

Having worked for RECKLESS RECORDS in London for over 20 years as one of their principal Vinyl and CD buyers (one of the best secondhand record shops in the West End) and having in excess of 4,200 posts on Amazon (CDs, DVDs, BLU RAYs - Top Ten Hall Of Fame Reviewer) - as you can imagine I come across a huge number of reissues - some far more worthy than others.

To that end I've collated together these SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOKS Series as guides to Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters offering up in-depth reviews on a wide range of titles. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth to Sound Good either – you just need to know which CD is the right issue to buy.

Like my e-Books for the Seventies first couple of years proved (1970, 1971 and 1972) - the Rock Music is King onslaught continued full pelt with 1973. But this equally productive year also showed music lovers continuing to spread their listening wings – embracing genres many thought conservative ears would never give the time of day to (Reggae, Country, Blues Rock, Avant Garde, Jazz Fusion and Prog). And while you'll undoubtedly see some well-known titles in here - others were obscure even then and remain so to this day (if they're worth a digital revisit, I like to champion them all).

Many entries in this large and unique book cost less than £10 too, while others are under a fiver. And even if some Box Sets/Deletions have acquired a price tag - because they’re the best I've included them along with artists/titles that deserve your attention

Enjoy The Reads - MARK BARRY (Dec 2023)
PS: see also each years from 1968 to 1976 individually
and 1977 to 1979 collectively ('Prove It All Night') 

Monday 23 December 2019

1970-1974 - "ALL RIGHT NOW" Volume 1 of 2 - Artists A to L - Classic Rock and Pop - Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters - A SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC E-BOOK for Sale on Amazon by Hall Of Fame Reviewer Mark Barry...

The SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series



ALL RIGHT NOW
Music of 1970 to 1974 
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters 
Volume 1 - A to L 


* VOLUME 1 of 2 - Artists A to L
* VOLUME 2 of 2 - Artists M to Z - see "REASON TO BELIEVE" (available separately)
* Over 2,275 E-pages of genuinely useful information March 2024 Update
* A huge 320 in-depth reviews spanning CD reissues/remasters from the 1990s to 2024
* Vast majority of these reviews are for standard CDs ranging from £3 to £20 - most under £10 - some box sets up to £100
* Apart from standard CD other formats include - SACD [Super Audio CD], HDCD [High Density Compatible Digital], Japan SHM-CD and Japan Platinum SHM-CD  [Super High Materials]
* All major record companies covered Sony/Legacy, Universal, WEA, EMI etc. including Major Box Set Retrospectives
* Best Independent Reissue Labels highlighted...
– Ace, Audio Fidelity, Bear Family, Beats Goes On, Big Break Records, Cherry Red, Edsel, Esoteric Recordings, Grapefruit, Hip-O Select, Lemon, Light In The Attic, Mobile Fidelity, Raven, Real Gone Music, Repertoire, Rev-Ola, Rhino, RPM, Salvo, Sundazed, Panegyric and others...
* Technical data from the discs themselves (total playing times and more), Release Date, Catalogue No and Barcode to locate the correct issue
* Track lists and Details on Bonus material (if any)
* Vinyl Discographies referencing CD Box sets (track numbers to sequence singles and albums from the discs), UK and US catalogue numbers and release dates for original vinyl albums, 7” singles and EPs within each review
* Remaster/Tape Transfer Engineers highlighted
* Packaging description (Mini Repro LP sleeves, booklets etc)

SEVENTIES RECORD LABELS covered by the book include:
ABC, ABC/Dunhill, A&M, Anchor, Apple, Ardent, Asylum, Atlantic/Atco, Bearsville, Blue Horizon, Capitol, Capricorn, CBS, Charisma, Chrysalis, Columbia, Dandelion, Dawn, Decca, Deram (Nova), DJM, Elektra, EMI, Epic, Fantasy, Fly, Fontana, Harvest, Immediate, Island, Kapp, Liberty, London, Marmalade, MCA, Mercury, MGM, Monument, Mooncrest, Parlophone, Parrot, Polydor, Probe, Purple, Pye International, RAK, Rare Earth, RCA Victor, Reaction, Reprise, Rolling Stones, RSO, Shelter, Sire, Smash, Straight, Sussex, Track, Trojan, Uni, Vanguard, Vertigo, Verve, Virgin, United Artists and Warner Brothers

Having worked for RECKLESS RECORDS in London's Soho for over 20 years as one of their principal Vinyl and CD buyers (one of the best secondhand record shops in the West End) and having been a 'Hall of Fame' Reviewer on Amazon six times in the past - as you can imagine - I came across (and still do) a huge number of reissues - some far more worthy than others.

To that end I've collated together these SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOKS as guides to Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters offering up in-depth reviews on a wide range of titles. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth to Sound Good either – you just need to know which CD is the right issue to buy. Many entries in this large and unique book cost less than £10 while others are under a fiver. And even if some Box Sets/Deletions have acquired a price tag - because they’re the best I’ve included them along with artists/titles that deserve your attention

Hope you enjoy the reads - MARK BARRY (March 2024)

INDEX - Entries and Artist Posts in Alphabetical Order