Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Alphabet Soup (K)

Hello, Alphabet Soup tastes K today and what a rich blend comes thru. First up one of my favourite albums in the seventies, in 2 years i went from Gary Glitter and Slade onto King Crimson (rather amazing -with hindsight). With Red King Crimson closed the first 5 years of its existance in a aggressive and loud way with main man Robert Fripp already under the spell of the mystic George Gurdjieff and thoughts of the end of the world is here (to stay -wink). It gave the album and players a push that resulted in a classic.....Kravitz, Lenny what can i say with his Let Love Rule and bronze adonis body he had all the girls and hippies out at the end of the eighties. He's maintained a media presence now for the following 20 years, and successfully evaded being labelled a big media puppet, at the same time playing his ancestry cards (Jewish father) very cleverly. After marriage with Lisa Bonet (Cosby's) and having a daughter Zoe, he had his hands free again and used that as inspiration to his second album, Mama Said..(mama sad more likely) anyway Lenny was on his way too stardom.....Kaiser Chiefs didnt get much help or financing and launched their millionselling album Employment with the strenght of their singles, which have a great singalong quality..young and old be it on the foorballpitch of their favouriete team Leeds United or just at home, in the car wherever, irresistable stuff ....

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King Crimson - Red (74 ^ 94mb)

King Crimson have typically been categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, although they incorporate diverse influences ranging from jazz, classical and experimental music to psychedelic, New Wave, hard rock, gamelan and folk music. King Crimson have garnered little radio or music video airplay, but gained a large cult following. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, is widely regarded as a landmark in progressive rock. Their later excursions into even more unconventional territory have been influential on many contemporary musical artists. Bands such as Genesis and Yes were influenced by the band's initial style of symphonic mellotron rock.Tool are widely held to have been heavily influenced by King Crimson. Nirvana are known to have been influenced by King Crimson as a result of Kurt Cobain having mentioned the importance of the Red album to him. The band Porcupine Tree is influenced by King Crimson, and as with Tool, King Crimson (in the form of ProjeKct Six) has been the support band at their shows. The angular, dissonant guitar patterns associated with Fripp’s distinctive approach are also evident in the music of Alt-Metal pioneers, Voivod, Primus is heavily influenced by the King Crimson sound, and Iron Maiden members credit the band as a reference for them....

King Crimson's membership has fluctuated considerably throughout their existence, with eighteen musicians and two lyricists passing through the ranks as full band members. Fripp, the only constant member of King Crimson, has arranged several distinct lineups, but has stated that he does not necessarily consider himself the band's leader. The new King Crimson that evolved in July 1972 (again with some personnel changes) marks a turn toward a heavier progressive sound, with experimental and fusion overtones, that climaxes mostly on their unique semi-improvisatory live performances throughout the whole 1973 with the release of Starless and Bible Black, January 1974. Most of that album was recorded from live performances with the live factor dismissed.

David Cross left and so John Wetton, Bill Bruford and Robert Fripp were left to record the new album, Red, be it with the help of musicians from previous KC albums.(David Cross - violin, Mel Collins - soprano saxophone, Ian McDonald - alto saxophone, Robin Miller - oboe, Marc Charig - cornet). Red has been described as "an impressive achievement" for a group about to disband, with "intensely dynamic" musical chemistry between the band members that resulted in a record "aggressive and loud enough to strip the wallpaper off your living room wall". Fripp, increasingly disillusioned with the music business, was turning his attention to the writings of the mystic George Gurdjieff, and did not want to tour as he felt that the "world was coming to an end". The Red line-up never toured, and two months before the album's release Fripp announced that King Crimson had "ceased to exist" and the group disbanded on September 25, 1974

Early in 1981, Fripp considered forming a new group, with no intention of reforming King Crimson. However, a step that led to this was contacting Bill Bruford to ask if he wanted to join the new band.Bruford agreed and the pair recruited Tony Levin, he brought a new sound with the use of the Chapman Stick, described as an "utterly original style" created by "one of New York City's most sought-after studio musicians".Fripp also contacted guitarist Adrian Belew, who was on tour with Talking Heads ] Fripp had never been in a band with another guitarist before so the decision to seek a second guitarist was indicative of Fripp's desire to create a sound unlike previous incarnations of King Crimson.Belew, who also became the band's singer and lyricist, joined following his tour with Talking Heads. The four played live in the first half of 1981 using the name Discipline.

By October 1981, the band had begun using the name King Crimson. The group released a trilogy of albums: Discipline in 1981, Beat in 1982, and Three of a Perfect Pair in 1984. Beat marked the first King Crimson album to have been recorded with the exact same band members as the album preceding it. After Three of a Perfect Pair, King Crimson disbanded for around a decade, during which time Fripp formed the record label Discipline Global Mobile for King Crimson and related projects, besides starting the Guitar Craft music school in 1985.

Ten years after (May 1994), King Crimson start rehearsing again, this time as a double trio (added to the four above, are Pat Mastelotto on percussion, and Trey Gunn on stick). It is in this time that the Discipline Global Mobile label is started, enabling for the first time Mr. Fripp and associates to release their own music by their own (high) standards. This "double trio" formation released the EP VROOOM in 1994, followed by the studio album THRAK in 1995, and the challenging avantgarde live album THRaKaTTaK in 1996. The new King Crimson sound featured elements of the interlocking guitars on Discipline and the heavy rock feel of Red

The double trio scheme will only release two full albums and various ep’s, yet it will lead to its “fractalization” to groups of three (or four), thus forming the ProjeKcts. Five such ProjeKcts will live and flourish (One, Two, Three, Four, and X), and their live and studio sessions will be released by DGM, along with numerous other recordings from all periods of King Crimson (some under the King Crimson Collector’s Club; bi-monthly releases for members only). In the hands of DGM, the King Crimson back catalogue (most late additions only on FLAC/MP3 format) grows enormously, making it one of the biggest for any rock group ever. By the time the ProjeKcts were complete, Bruford and Levin had ceased to be involved with King Crimson, Belew, Fripp, Gunn, and Mastelotto remained, releasing the studio album The ConstruKction of Light (2000), accompanied by the album Heaven and Earth released under the name ProjeKct X in the same year.

The band continued their activity throughout the decade. In 2002 the EP Happy With What You Have to Be Happy With was released,[51] and in 2003 the studio album The Power to Believe came out with the band touring in support of it. November 2003, Trey Gunn announced his departure from the band. Levin would become the active bassist of King Crimson again, with the subsequent line-up scheduled for rehearsals in 2008 and consisting of Fripp, Belew, Mastelotto, Levin plus a second drummer, Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree, who joined King Crimson in November 2007. They began rehearsals in March 2008.



01 - Red (6:20)
02 - Fallen Angel (6:00)
03 - One More Red Nightmare (7:07)

04 - Providence (8:08)
(Recorded at Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, 30 June 1974)
05 - Starless (12:18)

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Lenny Kravitz - Mama Said (91 ^ 99mb)

Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz (born May 26, 1964, New York City) Lenny began banging on pots and pans in the kitchen, playing them as drums at the age of three, at the age of five, he wanted to be a musician. Kravitz grew up listening to the music his parents listened to: R&B, jazz, classical, opera, gospel, and blues. He began playing the drums and soon added guitar. In 1974, the Kravitz family relocated to Los Angeles when Kravitz's mother landed her role on The Jeffersons. At his mother's urging, Kravitz joined the California Boys Choir for three years, where he performed a classical repertoire, and sang with the Metropolitan Opera.

At the age of 15, determined to have a music career, Kravitz moved out , he stayed with friends, slept in friends' cars. Inspired by David Bowie and The New York Dolls, Kravitz adopted the nom de guerre, "Romeo Blue," a new persona complete with straightened hair, eyeliner and mascara, blue contact lenses, and began performing. Kravitz's music at this time was heavily influenced by the synth-laden funk pop of Prince. With his first demo, Kravitz received offers from several record labels, including I.R.S. Records, but was told he needed to change his music to either make it "black enough" to fit in with current radio-friendly R and B styles or to make it "whiter" to work as a rock artist "I refused," Kravitz told the Los Angeles Times in 1989. With record labels still telling him his music wasn't "black enough" or "white enough," Kravitz decided to record an album on his own. Kravitz began working on his debut album with Hirsch over the next year and a half, with his father paying for the studio time.

Kravitz released his debut album Let Love Rule on September 19, 1989, a combination of rock and funk with a general 1960s vibe. Music critics were mixed: some felt Kravitz was a gifted new artist, others felt he was overpowered by his musical influences. The album was a moderate success in the United States, but much bigger outside of the US, especially in Europe. In 1990, Kravitz co-wrote with Ingrid Chavez and produced the song "Justify My Love" for Madonna. The song, created controversy because of its explicit video, and thus went to #1. Kravitz separated from Lisa Bonet in 1991, amid rumors of an affair between him and Madonna. In 1991, he produced, played most of the instruments, and co-wrote most of the songs on the self-titled album of French singer Vanessa Paradis He also released his second album, Mama Said, which was his first album to reach the Top 40. The songs on the album were about Bonet and dedicated to her, documenting his depression over their breakup. Kravitz's biggest single yet, "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", went to #2

In 1993, Are You Gonna Go My Way was released, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 and Kravitz earned a BRIT Award for best international male artist in 1994. He released the album Circus in 1995, which went to number 10 on the Billboard chart on the back of his past achievement. However, the album only had two hit singles: "Rock and Roll Is Dead" and "Can't Get You Off My Mind". With 5 (1998), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools and samplers for the first time. The single "Fly Away" reached #1 on multiple charts. He would win the first of his four consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1999. His cover version of The Guess Who's hit "American Woman" won him another Grammy at the Grammy Awards of 2000 and helped The Guess Who's song reach a new audience. Kravitz's version of the song originally came from the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and was later added to 5 as a bonus track. The single "Again" earned him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 2001

Kravitz sixth album, Lenny was recorded in Miami and released in October 2001. He won his fourth Grammy in 2002. "Stillness of Heart", "Believe in Me", and "If I Could Fall In Love" were subsequent singles from the album. Kravitz's seventh album Baptism was released in May 2004. The first single was "Where Are We Runnin'?", "Storm", featuring Jay-Z, reached the charts. "Calling All Angels" was successful in various countries and a huge hit in Brazil, however it was "Lady", dedicated to his then girlfriend Nicole Kidman, became the album's surprise hit, making the US Top 30 and propelling "Baptism" to gold status. Lately, Kravitz has founded a design firm named Kravitz Design, focused on interior and furniture design, stating if he hadn't been a musician he would have been a designer. On January 17, 2008, Kravitz embarked on a 9 city mini-tour to promote his new album It Is Time for a Love Revolution. The tour started in Santa Monica, California and ended in New York City on February 1st. Ten days later he was in hospital with a severe bronchitis, which caused cancelling the European and South -Amercican tour to be cancelled. Not to worry the 44 year old is still alive and well working on his next bum, Funk



01 - Fields Of Joy (4:03)
02 - Always On The Run (3:57)
03 - Stand By My Woman (4:16)
04 - It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over (3:55)
05 - More Than Anything In This World (3:43)
06 - What Goes Around Comes Around (4:40)
07 - The Difference Is Why (4:48)
08 - Stop Draggin' Around (2:37)
09 - Flowers For Zoe (2:45)
10 - Fields Of Joy (Reprise) (3:57)
11 - All I Ever Wanted (4:04)
12 - When The Morning Turns To Night (2:58)
13 - What The .... Are We Saying? (5:10)
14 - Butterfly (1:45)

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Kaiser Chiefs - Employment ( 05 ^ 99mb)

When they were around eleven years old, Nick Hodgson, Nick Baines and Simon Rix met in the same class at St. Mary's School, Menston just outside Leeds. After leaving school, Rix and Baines left for university in 1996 whereas Hodgson remained in the Leeds area, meeting both Andrew White and Ricky Wilson. Hodgson, White and Wilson formed the band Runston Parva. The group would re-form as Parva upon the return of Rix and Baines from university. Parva's career would go beyond the boundaries of Leeds, and the band was able to obtain a record deal in 2001. However, the label closed down soon after, leaving Parva desolate and without any direction. The band decided that they would would aim for a longer term record deal and started afresh with new songs and a new name: Kaiser Chiefs. The new name was taken from South African football club Kaizer Chiefs, where former Leeds United captain Lucas Radebe had once played.

The group's debut album Employment was released in March 2005, on the B-Unique record label and went on to becoming the fourth best-selling album in the United Kingdom that year. Being primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock music of late 1970s.[3] The album was well received by music critics, described as "thrilling from beginning to end" and "quintessentially British, without pretension and most importantly, a whole lot of fun. The first single released from the album was "Oh My God" in 2004, which reached number six on the UK singles chart when it was reissued in February 2005. "I Predict a Riot" soon followed as the album's second release.Originally the album charted at #3 in the UK Albums Chart, but charted one place higher at #2 almost a year after its release, due to the bands success at the Brit Awards. Glastonbury 2005 was the Kaiser's festival. With dreaded weather the band played the main stage on the Saturday afternoon and again had the crowd eating out of the palm of its (collective) hand.

Kaiser Chiefs' second album Yours Truly, Angry Mob was released in February 2007. The group recorded the album throughout the September and October of 2006, and recorded over twenty-two songs at Hook End Studio in Oxfordshire.
Unlike Employment, the album received mixed reviews from critics who found it to be "an album full of jukebox hits" and "predictable". "Ruby", the album's lead single, became Kaiser Chiefs' first UK number one single. Yours Truly, Angry Mob reached number one on the UK albums chart and number forty-five on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Kaiser Chiefs recently scrapped most of their autumn US tour saying they were too anxious to begin recording their third full length album. Mark Ronson along with Eliot Jameswill be producing the forthcoming third album to be released coming fall. They can be seen at several festivals this summer , and headline the Friday night of this years Isle of Wight Festival.



01 - Everyday I Love You Less And Less (3:37)
02 - I Predict A Riot (3:53)
03 - Modern Way (4:03)
04 - Na Na Na Na Naa (3:00)
05 - You Can Have It All (4:35)
06 - Oh My God (3:34)
07 - Born To Be A Dancer (3:30)
08 - Saturday Night (3:26)
09 - What Did I Ever Give You? (4:09)
10 - Time Honoured Tradition (2:45)
11 - Caroline, Yes (4:10)
12 - Team Mate (3:24)

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All downloads are in * ogg-7 (224k) or ^ ogg-9(320k), artwork is included , if in need get the nifty ogg encoder/decoder here !

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