GWARANCJA SZCZEGÓLNEJ JAKOŚCI AUDIOFILSKIEJ:

Artykuł The Pretenders<br /> The Pretenders pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Artykuł Corey Harris<br />Daily Bread pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Artykuł City of Dreams: A Collection of New Orleans Music [Box] pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

The performances on Dire Straits‘ Communiqué are so smooth and effortless, they were originally criticized for replicating the blueprints of the band’s breakout debut. Time, however, has a way of changing perspectives and exposing the truth. More than 35 years after its original release in June 1979, Communiqué rightfully takes its place as the group’s most underrated record – a nine-track set spiked with engaging storytelling, relaxed vibes, and deceiving simplicity.

Knopfler’s mesmerizing guitar textures and composed vocals appear as if they’re right in front of you, holding court amidst expansive soundstages and deep-black backgrounds. Details, imaging, and presence are on a level associated with the finest audiophile recordings.

Of course, the audiophile sonics mean little if the artistic content is lacking. Needless to say, Dire Straits‘ technical perfectionism and creative elan prevail throughout. Knopfler’s penchant for sketching cynical characters is further developed on moody tracks like „Where Do You Think You’re Going“ and „News,“ while Wexler’s presence at the boards ensures the band keeps the rhythms extra tight. The quartet’s low-key blues and swampy, Southern-styled grooves turn every song into an exercise in understated virtuosity.

Refusing to give into excess, magnetic tunes such as „Lady Writer“ and „Angel of Mercy“ split a fine line between insinuating and insisting. The group shows off a combination of control, virtuosity, and tunefulness that harkens back to a rock n‘ roll’s classic period while also pointing the way ahead. Need indisputable evidence of Dire Straits‘ compositional strengths? Cue up the closing „Follow Me Home“ on this pressing and get lost amidst the peacefulness of the gentle surf and chirping crickets that frame the song. Heavenly.

Artykuł Dire Straits <br />Communique <br /> Mobile Fidelity <br /> SACD Hybr pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Numbered Limited Edition Mini-LP Style Packaging!

Quintet’s Fifth Album Features Gorgeous Layered Harmonies „Ophelia,“ „It Makes No Difference,“ and „Acadian Driftwood“

The Band’s Northern Lights-Southern Cross is, in nearly every respect, the group’s studio swan song. The group’s fifth album is also one of its finest works, a finely textured collection that at the time of its 1975 release marked the quintet’s first album of new material in four years. And what songs they are. Anchored by the standards “Acadian Driftwood,” “Ophelia,” and “It Makes No Difference,” the set finds the collective in peak form, the absorbing music a result of both guitarist Robbie Robertson’s unflappable songwriting and a fortunate confluence of creative factors.

“It was the first time in a while that I felt we had locked in again in a certain kind of way. We were really having enjoyable times together both musically and hanging out. We had a great time going out and playing with Bob, the new environment was refreshing and I think musically we were hungry.  You put all these bits and pieces together and it adds up to something.“
–Robertson, as told to Rob Bowman

As Robertson recalls, the Band had been rejuvenated after touring with Bob Dylan and reconnecting with the same muse responsible for inspiring its landmark debut. In addition, the group came to the realization that it worked better when operating outside of traditional recording studios. Akin to Music From Big Pink (also available on Mobile Fidelity Hybrid Stereo SACD) and The Band, sessions for Northern Lights—Southern Cross occurred within a clubhouse-like atmosphere—specifically, a converted Malibu ranch/bordello they called Shangri-La.

There, with the pressure off, the Band was able to relax, think, and take their time. The situation also fostered a new approach to recording. Due to Shangri-La’s dimensions and myriad windows, the Band overdubbed all of the vocals, ensuring unrivaled smoothness and fluidity. In addition, the group embraced the then-new technology afforded by recording on a 24-channel console, allowing for multiple layering of keyboards and overlapped harmonies.

Mastered from the original master tapes, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered limited-edition hybrid SACD brings the beauty, intellect, and contours of Northern Lights—Southern Cross to life as never before. Particularly compelling is the priceless “Acadian Driftwood,” on which you can hear the oddly tuned fiddling of bluegrass virtuoso Byron Berline seamlessly mesh with Garth Hudson’s bagpipe and Richard Manuel’s piccolo with unparalleled transparency. Blending Quebecois, Cajun, and country, the song is one of the greatest compositions in the American songbook—and now, even better.

Artykuł The Band <br />Northern Lights – Southern Cross pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Dawson was the inspiration for Harry Shearer’s Spinal Tap character Derek Smalls.“

Artykuł Steve Dawson<br />We Belong To The Gold Coast pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Get Let in on a Secret: Legendary Quintet’s 1971 Album an Overlooked Gem
Historically overlooked, Cahoots stands as one of The Band’s finest efforts and includes contributions from iconic pianist/arranger Allen Toussaint and Irish bard Van Morrison, whose feverish duet with Band vocalist Richard Helm on “4% Pantomime” is the equivalent of two poker players trying to outsmart one another. A similar carnivalesque spirit infuses the entire set. If you’re missing this album or simply never heard it, you’re in for a treat.
And there’s never been a better opportunity to experience Cahoots. Remastered from the original master tapes by Mobile Fidelity’s expert engineers, the record sounds more open, detailed, warm, and revealing than ever before. This Hybrid SACD version is guaranteed to bring you right into the Bearsville studio where it all went down.

Artykuł The Band <br />Cahoots pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

JOE ELY & JOEL GUZMAN“Live Cactus!“Rack ‚Em

ON HIS new concert recording, „Live Cactus!,“ Joe Ely makes a joke about his home town, Lubbock, Tex. „It’s a very romantic place,“ he says, adding after a pause, „if you’ve just gotten out of the pen.“ He then goes on to confess that most of his songs are rooted there: in the narratives of cowboy songs, in the swing of Bob Wills, in the rockabilly of hometown hero Buddy Holly and in the accordion-fueled bounce of Tex-Mex music. That last quality has always been present in Ely’s music but never so obviously as in his collaborations with accordionist Joel Guzman.

The two were bandmates in the borderland all-star ensemble Los Super Seven, and recently they’ve been performing as a duo. This disc captures the two live, playing 10 songs by Ely and one apiece by R.C. Banks, Butch Hancock and Townes Van Zandt (young singer Ryan Bingham joins in Van Zandt’s „White Freightliner Blues“). Guzman is an underappreciated virtuoso of the squeezebox; his thick chords and fluttery runs fill out the sound of Ely’s tenor and acoustic guitar remarkably well. On „Ranches and Rivers,“ Guzman’s accordion answers each line of Ely’s vocals so eloquently that it almost sounds like a dialogue.

— Geoffrey Himes – http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062601121.html

Artykuł Joe Ely – Joel Guzman >nr />Live Cactus! pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Artykuł J.D Crowe & The New South<br />Live In Japan pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.

Artykuł The Nashville Bluegrass Band<br />My Native Home pochodzi z serwisu Cleartone.