Dire Straits – Communiqué (1979) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2012]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 42:35 minutes | Scans included | 1,71 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 840 MB
Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players). DSD Transferred by Manabu Matsumura.
Rushed out less than nine months after the surprise success of Dire Straits’ self-titled debut album, the group’s sophomore effort, Communiqué, seemed little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor with less compelling material. Mark Knopfler and co. had established a sound (derived largely from J.J. Cale) of laid-back shuffles and intricate, bluesy guitar playing, and Communiqué provided more examples of it. But there was no track as focused as “Sultans of Swing,” even if “Lady Writer” (a lesser singles chart entry on both sides of the Atlantic) nearly duplicated its sound. As a result, Communiqué sold immediately to Dire Straits’ established audience, but no more, and it did not fare as well critically as its predecessor or its follow-up.
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Dire Straits – Dire Straits (1978) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2010]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:49 minutes | Scans included | 1,68 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 833 MB
Reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-SACD format (fully compatible with standard SACD player, but it does not play on standard CD players) and the latest DSD mastering in 2010 based on Japanese original analog tape. DSD Transferred by Hitoshi Takiguchi.
Dire Straits’ minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler’s spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. And while the bar band mentality of pub-rock is at the core of Dire Straits — even the group’s breakthrough single, “Sultans of Swing,” offered a lament for a neglected pub rock band — their music is already beyond the simple boogies and shuffles of their forefathers, occasionally dipping into jazz and country. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. While a few of the songs fall flat, the album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career.
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Dredg – El Cielo (2002) [Reissue 2003]
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 57:18 minutess | Scans included | 3,76 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 57:12 mins | Scans included | 1,13 GB
Progressive Rock / Art-Rock | Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Interscope # B0000798-36
Dredg is one of those rare bands who truly cannot be categorized. Gavin Hayes’ vocals cascade like a waterfall over a sea of scratching Latin rhythms, dulcimers, guitars in odd time signatures, and prog rock-inspired drums. Hayes shares his penchant for Bulgarian chants in “Triangle” and “Same Ol’ Road.” “Whoa Is Me” could provide the soundtrack to all things haunted. Whether it’s a piano and strings or Cure-influenced (specifically the Cure’s “Fascination Street”) guitars, instruments fill the time between songs on El Cielo. They offer a respite from the monotony and the slow-fast-slow style of songwriting. In an odd moment at the end of “Whoa Is Me,” a soft-spoken public radio DJ speaks of a jazz number from 1944. The full-throttle rocker “It Only Took a Day” is one of the highlights. El Cielo is unlikely to become a hit on commercial radio, but perhaps Dredg could find their niche on college stations.
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Dr. Teleny’s & Ettore Stratta – Stolen Goods & Viva Vivaldi (1972 & 1974) [Reissue 2019]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 66:20 minutes | Scans included | 3,12 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,56 GB
2 LP on 1 SACD | Features Stereo and Quadrophonic Surround Sound | Vocalion # CDSML 8552
A pair of very unusual albums – back to back on a single CD! Stolen Goods is a totally cool, totally groovy album from the 70s – one that features large orchestral arrangements of themes from the classics – but all augmented with plenty of wild contemporary touches! There’s moogy electronics, funky drums, wordless vocals, and lots of other hip 70s elements – including the kind of horn section that would have made Mozart, Chopin, or Beethoven wince – had they lived long enough to hear the approach to their songs served up on this British album! From what we can tell, Dr Teleny is Zack Laurence – who’s billed as the musical director on the album – serving up transformed tunes with titles that include “Power Play”, “Wild Turkey”, “Rhapsody From Hunger”, “Superjoy”, “Johann Sebastian Rock”, and “The People Yes”. Next up is Viva Vivaldi, served up by Italian conductor Ettore Stratta – who you’ll know from both sound track and easy instrumental modes – getting a lot of hip help here from arranger Chico O’Farrill! The songs are all from Vivaldi – as you’d guess from the title – but Chico’s charts add in plenty of sweet 70s touches, including electric bass, keyboards, and other instrumentation that moves things way past the baroque generation – even making some tunes groove in a surprising way. There’s still enough strings in play to tie the songs to classical roots – and titles include “Gloria Allegro”, “Mandolin Concerto In C Adagio”, “Suite From Four Seasons”, “Flute Concerto In D”, “Concerto In E”, and “Concerto In G For Two Mandolins”.
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Dr. L. Subramaniam and Larry Coryell – From The Ashes (2001)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 45:30 minutes | Artwork | 2,1 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Complete Artwork | 790 MB
A stunning improvised collaboration for fans of any kind of string instruments, From the Ashes brings together Dr. L. Subramaniam and Larry Coryell.
Subramaniam & Coryell’s collaborative efforts go as far back as 1978, on an energetic cerebral exercise, “Spiritual Dance.” They’ve worked together numerous times, but on this occasion, the studio date was the stage for emotional closure for Subramaniam, who lost his wife. This album is a metaphoric “Taj Mahal” for Subramaniam, meaning this is his memorial to his beloved, just like that of the Indian aristocrat who commissioned the world famous landmark for that same purpose. Although Karnatak sounds stoic, Subramaniam ably fills emotion to the brim without losing Karnatak’s musical vision. “The Way You Placed My Bow” has the guitar & violin reply to the call of the otherworld, represented by a mournful drone. Coryell splashes folk like elements while Subramaniam expresses his everlasting emotional ties to his wife in “Beyond the Flames.” They perform some “Eastern blues” in “Love is Stronger than Death,” leaving an afterglow of eeriness within a transcendental setting, with its conclusion Coryell’s harmonic gesture. “Alone in the Ganges” relates to setting a departed’s physical remains into the Ganges, symbolizing death as part of life’s cycle. Here, Coryell expresses such, intensifying in volume & speed but without exaggeration.
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Mandelring Quartett – Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 4 (2006)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,30 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,12 GB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: Audite # 92.526 | Country/Year: Germany 2006 | Genre: Classical | Style: Contemporary
A triumphant start to what heralds to be one of the best Shostakovich quartet cycles imaginable.
The numbering of the quartets is a little more concentrated in time than the comparable symphonies (for example, the first quartet was written in 1938 after the first five symphonies had been completed). As such, listeners should not be surprised by the emotional intensity and rawness of the melodic language employed even in this first volume encompassing quartets 1, 2 and 4.
The Mandelring Quartett play this repertoire with the same extraordinary unanimity of approach and beautiful sound that has characterised their Schubert cycle thus far. Here though, their tone is more concentrated and less rich than before, yet their emotional response is far greater. The lament that forms the central “Recitative and Romance” of the second quartet (written in 1944) is heart-rendering in the eloquence and power that they bring.
The more high-tempo parts are not short-changed either and the Mandelring bring plenty of excitement without ever sacrificing tone production or intonation – one can imagine few fiercer attacks than they bring in Waltz (also from the second quartet). The more (superficially) tender sections receive equally dedicated playing and hold the ear as easily as more outwardly exhibitionist moments. The Mandelring quartet are also scrupulous in their following of the dynamic markings so that Shostakovich’s intentions are easy for the ear and mind to observe without recourse to a score. The overall impression is that the Mandelring players have placed themselves firmly at the service of the music rather than the score to be a vehicle for display (not that they have anything to fear on this count!)
The sound is also very good and one is able to ascertain the location of each musician with ease – the placing of the listener is in a very good seat indeed within a fine concert hall and the multi-channel sound has a lovely sense of presence; it is hard to imagine a better reflection of their sound being possible.
Highly recommended.
Copyright © 2008 John Broggio and SA-CD.net ~sa-cd.net
DJ Krush – Jaku (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 73:39 minutes | Scans included | 2,43 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,44 GB
Genre: Electronic, Trip-Hop
Hideaki Ishi ( 石 英明 ), better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Aside from being considered one of the pioneers of Japanese hip hop, Ishi has established himself as one of the most respected artists and producers in the hip hop industry, both in Japan and abroad. He is prefers to exercise an ideological distance from the genres he is usually grouped into, while maintaining a healthy appreciation for all music forms and styles. “Jaku” is his eighth solo album. It features guest appearances from American rappers Mr. Lif and Aesop Rock, both of whom were signed to the Definitive Jux label at that time.
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Dizzy Reece – Soundin’ Off (1960) [Analogue Productions 2011]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:44 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,68 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 928 MB
Maybe not exactly the first Dizzy that comes to mind when discussing jazz, this Jamaican-born, British-raised trumpeter overcame whatever burdens that nickname may have wrought to become a highly respected player in the New York scene. He enhanced that rep by recording some truly excellent albums for the Savoy, Blue Note and Prestige labels among others. His robust and passionate playing styles always seemed to inspire other musicians in his company. The contributions of the esteemed trio invited; pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor unilaterally match the front man’s fire and bold approach to each tune.
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Dizzy Gillespie – Supreme Jazz (2006)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 61:27 mins | Scans included | 3,73 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,11 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Label: Membran Music Ltd.
Dizzy Gillespie’s contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time (some would say the best), Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up copying Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis’ emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy’s style was successfully recreated. Somehow, Gillespie could make any “wrong” note fit, and harmonically he was ahead of everyone in the 1940s, including Charlie Parker. Unlike Bird, Dizzy was an enthusiastic teacher who wrote down his musical innovations and was eager to explain them to the next generation, thereby insuring that bebop would eventually become the foundation of jazz.
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Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Sir Simon Rattle – Mahler: Symphony No. 9 (Live) (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:18:52 minutes | 1,34 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © BR-Klassik
For the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the performances on November 26 and 27, 2021 in the Isarphilharmonie marked the beginning of a new chapter in its Mahler interpretation: with its designated new principal conductor Simon Rattle, the orchestra is now headed by a Mahler admirer every bit as ardent as his predecessors Jansons, Maazel and Kubelík. The musicians dedicated the benefit concert on November 26 to the memory of conductor Bernard Haitink, who died in October 2021 and was associated with the renowned orchestra for 61 years. The very long silence after the final chord was one of those “goosebump moments” that one goes to concerts for – and for which music is made in the first place.
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Sylviane Deferne – Schubert: Der Wanderer (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:24:15 minutes | 1,15 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Aparté
Prominent in the German Romantic imagination, the figure of the wanderer was also taken up by Franz Schubert. He composed a lied of that name, the theme of which was later to be found in his virtuosic Fantasy in C major, later aptly dubbed the “Wanderer-Fantasie”. A tireless wanderer himself, Franz Liszt transcribed Schubert’s lied for piano and presented several versions of the Fantasy in C, including one for piano and orchestra and another for two pianos. Here Sylviane Deferne presents the rarest of Liszt’s transcriptions of the “Wanderer-Fantasie”, the one for solo piano, with the last movement completely rewritten by the composer. Two works by Schubert complete the program: the 4 Impromptus Op.142, written a year before his death, and a rarely recorded early work, the Variations on a theme by Anselm Hüttenbrenner.
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SWR Vokalensemble & Marcus Creed – Wolfgang Rihm: Sieben Passions-Texte für sechs Stimmen (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 27:19 minutes | 238 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © SWR Classics
Die Uraufführung der Passions-Texte were also premiered at the same time as Vigilia, a work that supplements the seven passion texts with instrumental interludes. In the last piece “voices and instruments unite in a request for forgiveness.” (Clemens Goldberg). Members of the musikFabrik ensemble joined the vocal ensemble Singer Pur. Stefan Asbury conducted. The total duration is 65′.
Wolfgang Rihm completed his DEUS PASSUS Passion pieces after Luke in 2000. When the vocal ensemble Singer Pur asked him for a cappella music for Holy Week, the composer initially hesitated. He would rather “das Mönchsgewand wieder ablegen”. But then he felt so drawn to the project that he set about setting the seven selected texts to music straight away.
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Switchfoot – this is our Christmas album (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 39:43 minutes | 477 MB | Genre: Christmas
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © lowercase people records
September 7th – Today, Grammy Award winning rock band Switchfoot announces their new LP, this is our Christmas album, out November 4th. Marking the band’s first-ever holiday record, this is our Christmas album finds Switchfoot infusing their signature West Coast sound to a number of holiday classics and five, new original Christmas songs. Cheery, nostalgic and brimming with sunshine, the 11 track collection was inspired by everyone from the Beach Boys to Black Flag, and promises to be the perfect soundtrack for the holiday season with a new California twist.
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Svaneborg Kardyb – Over Tage (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 41:48 minutes | 441 MB | Genre: Contemporary Jazz, Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Gondwana Records
Svaneborg Kardyb are Nikolaj Svaneborg – Wurlitzer, Juno, Piano and Jonas Kardyb – Drums, Percussion, a multi-award winning duo from Denmark who won two “Grammys” at the Danish Music Awards Jazz 2019: New Artist of the Year and Composer of the Year. Drawing on Danish folk music and Scandinavian jazz influences, including Nils Frahm, Esbjörn Svennson and Jan Johansson’s seminal recording Jazz På Svenska, their music is an exquisite and joyful blend of beautiful melodies, delicate minimalism, catchy grooves, subtle electronica vibes, Nordic atmospheres and organic interplay, all borne of the pure joy of playing together.
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Los Angeles Philharmonic, Susanna Mälkki – Steve Reich: Runner / Music for Ensemble and Orchestra (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 35:25 minutes | 709 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Nonesuch
Nonesuch Records releases the first recordings of Steve Reich’s Runner (2016) and Music for Ensemble and Orchestra (2018), performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted by Susanna Mälkki, available digitally and on CD on September 30, 2022; a vinyl LP version will be released on December 2.
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