ROGIER VAN OTTERLOO - VISIONS (1974)

Today's album comes from another contributor, folks. This time Pekis (from 'Le Blog de Pekis') emailed me telling he had a rip for us from Rogier van Otterloo's album "Visions". The good thing is that I have the album as well and I was already thinking about posting it, but thanks to Pekis I don't have to rip the vinyl myself anymore. I only added high resolution scans of the covers. The regular visitors will most probably remember the previous Rogier van Otterloo album that is still available for download, which was "On The Move". Anyway, "Visions" is a beautiful album and breathes the typical, melancholic seventies sound that only Rogier van Otterloo, the best composer The Netherlands ever had, can deliver. Expect classical music, Jazz and subtle funky breaks with great, great Fender Rhodes solos and riffs. One of my visitors by the name Dgram once described it like this: "It certainly has it's classical elements—Bach, maybe something like a touch of Shostakovich or Prokofiev, or even some textures of Ravel. There are also moments that remind me of instrumental Brazilian at its best, ie, Donato or early early-ish Deodato. Throw in a funk groove that rivals Herbolzheimer at his best or Clarke-Boland at their most touching..." On the back cover Ruud Jacobs says that he also hears Bartók. And that's exactly what it is, folks: an incredible variety in styles and moods. Van Otterloo has been compared to Quincy Jones and the fact the both Jones and Van Otterloo worked with big names like Toots Thielemans should make it clear to y'all that this is a gem. To begin with, the beat diggers amongst us should pay close attention to the track "Munich '74" for the drum breaks; jazz fanatics will love the uptempo Fender Rhodes solos in cuts like "Lookin' Back" (from 2'13" on it starts building up to a fabulous Rhodes solo) and "Green In Between" (with nice last 25 secs), where we -again- hear some hints of old Bob James material, as is the case with "Two Of A Kind". The rest of the tracks is very laid back and orchestral: movie soundtrack style class that deserves attention. Just put it on, listen to it from start to finish and let your mind draw a landscape at the same time. The album is not available on CD (besides a few cuts on a best of), but thanks to Pekis Rogier is still here at 320 Kbps! Let's see those replies, people!

MUSCLE SHOALS HORNS - DOIN' IT TO THE BONE (1977)

The other day I received an email from Howie, record collector and DJ, who already has delivered a few rips of his own on Smooth's site. This time, both Howie and Smooth considered today's special perfect for my blog. And, dear visitors, I have to agree with a capital A. This Muscle Shoals Horns LP is a beauty. A hard to find one, I might add. But before I continue, I have to be honest with y'all: I know about the Muscle Shoals Horns, but I don't have any albums of them in my stack. At the same time, I don't know enough about them to write a nice, elaborate article about the band. I knew they have done tons of session assignments, but that was about it. Therefore, I grabbed a tiny biography and decided to publish it here: "Beginning as part of the Fame Gang, a loose knit group of session musicians who worked under the direction of Rick Hall at Fame Recording studio, the Muscle Shoals Horns soon earned their separate identity by performing on many recordings made at a variety of studios in the Muscle Shoals area. Originally composed of Harvey Thompson, saxophone, Ronnie Eades, baritone saxophone, Harrison Calloway, trumpet and Aaron Varnell, trombone, in the late 60s, the group solidified in 1970 when Charles Rose filled the spot vacated by Varnell. The lineup remained together until the mid-80s, adding a variety of specialist from time to time. While primarily a studio horn section, the Muscle Shoals Horns toured extensively with Elton John in the mid-70s, playing on the famed "Philadelphia Freedom" recording, which also featured John Lennon. Later in the 70s, the horn section released three albums of their own compositions which capitalized on the disco dance craze, and they formed a band which toured opening for groups such as Parliament-Funkadelic, as well as headlining shows in smaller venues". Well, that 'disco dance craze' part is a bit over the top in my opinion... Anyway, the album brings us ten very enjoyable tracks and some of us will hear some similarities with Earth, Wind & Fire, Commodores and maybe some Kool and the Gang. The absolute floor fillers here are "Can't Break The Habit", "Keep On Playin' That Funky Music" and "Beware Of The Rip Off". On the funkier or slower side we have to check out "Sexual Revolution", "Addicted To Your Love" and "Dance To The Music". A brilliant piece of work that everyone will enjoy; not to mention the DJs and beat diggers. Howie made a brilliant sounding rip at 320 Kbps of this rare gem, so don't miss it! Let's see those replies, folks!

CAPTAIN SKY - POP GOES THE CAPTAIN (1979)

And after my own rip of the Undisputed Truth it is Smooth's turn again, and he has the second Captain Sky album for us: "Pop Goes The Captain". The ones amongst us that enjoyed the Captain's debut release (still available a few posts down), will be surprised to hear that the Captain more or less abandoned the heavy p-funk influences of his first LP. Admitted, the album cover still breathes p-funk and there are still typical p-funk sounds to hear: high pitched voices in the style of George Clinton here and there, p-funkish arrangements, but all in all the rawness and unpolished sound of the Captain's debut album has gone. Still "Pop Goes The Captain" is a great record. It's just a bit more on the smooth side and seems to focus on the vocal abilities of the Captain. The brilliant cuts that really matter, are the up tempo "Moonchild" with some great bass playing, the p-funk stylee "Fearless" and "Double You S-K-Y" and last but not least we have the (in my opinion) Rick James-ish "Hero", again with some funky bass playing and with nice, subtle piano work. Those four tracks should be in every funk DJ's record bag, because we're talking floor fillers here, guys. The two ballads and "Ker-Runch" are also worth a try, but make sure to focus on the four slammers I just mentioned. Beat diggers should pay close attention as well, by the way. The back cover reveals a long list of interesting session names, so make sure to read it. Unavailable on CD, so time to check it out right now at 320 Kbps! Let's see those replies, folks!