Julian & John Lennon - Imagine (2022)

Michael Solof here again. A few days ago I was blown away by Julian Lennonʼs release of the track Imagine by his dad. After reading the accompanying note from his Twitter post (see below), I knew I just had to see if I could create a version that I wish existed, and try to
make Julianʼs version even more special. With that in mind, I decided to turn it into a duet with his dad. No easy feat I must say. I started out by tracking down every version of John singing Imagine that I could find. During my search I found many home demoʼs, studio outtakes, live cuts and TV appearances. My main concern was to find a version where the vocals acoustically matched, as closely as possible, those of the Julianʼs performance. It would sound unnatural to use a big echoing reverb drenched John vocal when Julianʼs recording had a beautiful, dry and intimate vocal. I finally found one that was darn close… but the music was completely different and clashed with Julianʼs sparse and haunting solo acoustic version. A few years ago that would have been a hugely insurmountable problem, but now a days there are websites that use really cool tech to separate the vocals from the instruments. Whats left is just crystal clear, beautiful sounding vocals! Using those same sites, I then separated out all the different parts of both versions so I was left with 4 tracks:
1. Julianʼs Lead Vocals
2. Johnʼs Lead Vocals
3. Nunoʼs guitar track
4. Nunoʼs Background Harmony Vocals
I knew I had to use Julianʼs vocal track as my base, and that I would need to edit Johnʼs vocals to match those as closely as possible. My next problem was Johnʼs phrasings were very different from Julianʼs. It wasn't a simple matter of playing both tracks, as is, at the same time. That sounded horrible and I wanted to make this sound as much like father and son sitting down face to face in a small intimate candlelit studio setting… and singing a beautiful
song together for the first time. Now I began The hours and hours I needed to accomplish this. I often had to break up Johnʼs phrases between words, and sometimes syllables, to match the timings and structure of Julianʼs song . Occasionally, when that didn't work, I would even
change the speed of the recording of Johnʼs vocal to extend the length of certain phrases slightly, for a better fit. It still didn't sound right. My original attempt had them both singing the entire song together. But then I watched a lot of different duets on YouTube and felt that if I switched back and forth between the verses and the choruses … that would be cool. So I did a version like that… but even that was missing the spark of these 2 guys just singing together.
So I started again. And this time, I had them trading off lines (starting with Julian since it is his release after all) and then having them both sing together on the choruses. That did it… that gave me tingles! 6 more hours of editing…matching up every word and every syllable of the
choruses until I was finally done. But I was still missing one last piece. 

I let some friends listen to my mix and one comment I got completely transformed the song. I canʼt believe I didn't think of it first. My mix had both vocals centered, but a friend suggested I pan Julianʼs vocals to the left and Johnʼs to the right. First I tried hard pans all the way to the left and right, but this sounded weird. I wanted them to sound like they were sitting side by side, not across the room from each other. So I switched to a softer pan of each vocal just a bit to the left and right. That was MAGIC! After a lot of internal debate, I also decided to include at the end of the song, the extra harmony vocals provided by Julianʼs friend and co-guitarist Nuno Bettencourt. It really makes for a much fuller and powerful ending. So now hereʼs my version of the duet I wish, more than anything, could have existed. Being a huge and lifelong John Lennon fan, I was always touched by the fact that Julian has spent much of his life following in his dadʼs massive footsteps, fighting against the many injustices occurring around the world.
Itʼs just downright inspiring to me. Julian was moved enough by the current situation in Ukraine to record this song. I thought the least I could do was let John join in the protest too!
I think he would have liked that.

In a first for both of us, Paul at albumsthatshouldexist and this site are posting Mike's superb effort on the same day, not only to get the song out to as many people as possible, but also to highlight the reason that Julian released it in the first place, which is to show support for Ukraine in their current struggle.

You can listen/download using the player, or download using Soulseek/Yandex and the folder includes Mike's pdf.  

Julian & John Lennon - Imagine

If the player doesn't work use the pop-out version

The War on Ukraine is an unimaginable tragedy... As a human, and as an artist, I felt compelled to respond in the most significant way I could. So today, for the first time ever, I publicly performed my Dad’s song, 'IMAGINE'. Why now, after all these years? I had always said that the only time I would ever consider singing ‘IMAGINE' would be if it was the ‘End of the World’…But also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide. Because within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time…The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for...As a result of the ongoing murderous violence, millions of innocent families have been forced to leave the comfort of their homes, to seek asylum elsewhere. I’m calling on world leaders and everyone who believes in the sentiment of 'IMAGINE', to stand up for refugees everywhere! 

Please advocate and donate from the heart. #StandUpForUkraine @glbltczn @nunobettencourtofficial 

— Julian Lennon

Evanescence - Missing (2002)

After Evanescence was formed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody in 1995, the band released three EPs and one demo CD 'Origin', before signing to Wind-up Records in January 2001. Since the release of 'Origin', a number of out-takes have surfaced, and so we start this album with three of them, including a live recording of 'Catherine', one of their few co-compositions, and also 'Listen To The Rain', which was written by Lee for her high school choir, the Pulaski Academy Mixed Choir. In the eight years between Lee and Moody meeting and them signing their record deal, they composed many songs, writing together about two or three times during that period of time, and the best of these were chosen for their debut album 'Fallen'. The album was recorded in California at Track Record Studios, NRG Recording Studios, Ocean Studios, and Conway Recording Studios, and the songs were taped as demos before they were professionally recorded, and as some of the songs didn't make it to the album, these demos of unreleased material are now highly sought-after. 'Whisper', from the 'Origin' CD, was re-recorded a number of times, before eventually appearing as the final track on 'Fallen', and the version known as 'Whisper 2002' has a superb 80-second intro which is missing from the album version, as well as being noticeably shorter. 'Anything For You' was recorded during the demo sessions, and is the fastest Evanescence song in terms of tempo, with a background choir singing a line from the 'Lacrymosa' part of Mozart's 'Requiem Mass In D Minor', a theme which later resurfaced on their song 'Lacrymosa' from their 2006 album 'The Open Door'. 'Missing' is an outtake which later turned up as the b-side to the Australian release of 'Bring Me To Life', while the demo of 'Before The Dawn' seems lyrically similar to 'Anywhere', with keyboard-player David Hodges hoping that it would appear on 'Fallen', although it was still left off. 'Farther Away' (sometimes incorrectly listed as 'Further Away') is an outtake from 'Fallen', and later appeared as a b-side, first to 'Bring Me To Life', and then later to 'Lost Whispers', while 'Bleed' has a number of titles, often being referred to as 'I Must Be Dreaming' and/or 'Untitled', although according to BMI, 'Bleed' is the official title. 'Forever You' is another unreleased  demo, which was originally named 'C Sharp' after the guitar tuning of the song, and that's followed by a demo of 'Surrender', with the album closing with 'Breathe No More', which was intended for 'Fallen' before it was scrapped, later appearing on the 'Elektra: The Album' compilation in 2005. Considering that 'Fallen' has sold over 15 million copies since its release, Wind-up Records made the insane demand that the band hire a rapper as a full-time member, and have him feature on most of the tracks or they'd refuse to release it. The band refused to comply, later agreeing to add a male vocal on only one song, the lead single 'Bring Me To Life', and the sales of the album prove that they made the right decision. These demos and out-takes from their first professional recording sessions, collected together under the apt title of 'Missing', show that they had a clear vision of their future even back then, and they weren't going to take any shit from idiotic record companies who thought they knew better.

Track listing

01 Catherine
02 Demise
03 Listen To The Rain
04 Whisper 2002
05 Anything For You 
06 Further Away
07 Before The Dawn 
08 Forever You
09 Bleed 
10 Missing 
11 Surrender
12 Breathe No More 

Cherokee - Soul Parade (2002)

Cherokee Pogue hails from Brooklyn, New York, and started writing poetry when she was 10, forming her first band when she was 13 years old. At the age of 16 she met a local singer/songwriter named Auto (whom she later married) and they released an album 'Naked Music' in 1992 on Morgan Creek Records. The album was not a success, despite the video for 'Taste' getting some airplay, and following friction between the pair Cherokee and Auto split in 1995. Moving to Los Angeles, Cherokee got a deal with RCA records in 1998, and released her debut solo album 'I Love You....Me', which was far less funky than her album with Auto, and veered into neo-soul, which was big at the time thanks to artists like Erykah Badu. A single was released from the album, and 'Ooh Wee Wee' peaked at #88 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, staying there for three weeks. A promo single for 'Steppin' Stone' was also released, and at the same time she was busy performing on shows such as 'Soul Train' and 'Motown Live', as well as featuring in a huge ad campaign for GAP. Despite all of this promotion, her album failed to chart, but  RCA did allow her to record a second record, to be called 'Soul Parade', and which was scheduled for release in 2001. Unfortunately, the division of RCA Records responsible for releasing the album ended up folding, and although she was later transferred over to sister company Arista Records, and a March 2002 release date was scheduled, the album was never released. Cherokee later released it herself through her website, and also issued the singles 'Nectarine' and I Swear' from it, although neither of them charted, and it's since become increasingly hard to track down. Cherokee later married record producer Neal Pogue and they had a daughter, and she took the next six years off to raise her, returning to the music scene in 2011 and joining Brazilian guitarist Fred Card to form reggae/soul duo Esprit De Corps, whom she continues to record and tour with to this day. To my ears this is an excellent collection of nu-soul, and did not deserve to be shelved, and so here it is so that you can enjoy it as well. 

Track linting

01 Runaway
02 Lips
03 A Woman knows (feat. Bilal)
04 I Swear
05 Nectarine (feat. Andre 3000)
06 Star
07 Nothing
08 Crazy
09 Daddy How
10 Where
11 One
12 Can't Let It Go

The Wolfgang Press - The Great Leveller (1995)

The history of The Wolfgang Press goes back to 1978, when schoolmates Michael Allen and Gary Asquith, together with Mark Cox, Marco Pirroni, and Max Prior formed Rema Rema. 4AD founder Ivo Watts-Russell said that hearing Rema Rema's demo tape "was the first point I knew that we were actually doing something serious with 4AD", signing the band straight away and releasing their sole recording, the 'Wheel In The Roses' 12" EP in April 1980. When I first heard the record I felt the same stunned amazement as Watts-Russell, and it has remained one of my favourite records to this day, but the band split when Pirroni left to join Adam and the Ants, and the rest of the group re-formed as Mass. The new band consisted of Allen and Cox with Asquith and Danny Briottet, and they recorded one single 'You And I'/'Cabbage' in October 1980, and an album, 'Labour Of Love', which came out in May 1981, splitting up later that year. After Mass split, Allen and Cox continued working together, with their live shows starting to show an influence of PIL's 'Metal Box', and the newly christened The Wolfgang Press recorded their debut album 'The Burden Of Mules' in 1983. Trouser Press describes it as dark and cacophonous, and an angry, intense slab of post-punk gloom, but it's telling that when the band's label put together their career retrospective compilation 'Everything Is Beautiful', it contained no tracks from that debut. The band followed the album with a series of EP's in 1984 and 1985, and a slight change of style, with 'Scarecrow' being described as "a lighter, more streamlined affair", 'Water' as spotlighting "ominously sparse torch songs", and 'Sweatbox' as "deconstructionist pop". Their second album appeared in 1986, and added industrial and classical instrumentation to their creative arsenal, and 1988's 'Bird Wood Cage' was the record that brought them to the attention of a larger audience, and is generally regarded as their pivotal work, incorporating the dance and funk elements which would ultimately emerge as the dominant facet of their music. Another EP, 'Big Sex', preceded the album, and included four new songs in the same style, but it would be three years before we heard any new music from the group, and when we did it had changed again. 

The genesis of the 1991 album 'Queer' was listening to De La Soul's 1989 debut album '3 Feet High And Rising', with the band "rediscovering that music could indeed be fun. It seemed such a joyous record. There was a freshness and ease about the way it was made that inspired us to reassess our working process". The new album's sound includes many samples, and funkier, poppier beats than their previous records, with the band members each playing multiple instruments, making the sound fuller than previous work. Two singles were taken from the album, with 'Time' being an extended remix of the album track 'Question Of Time', which included a sample from Pink Floyd's 'Time', followed by a cover of Randy Newman's 'Mama Told Me Not To Come'. Their next single, 'A Girl Like You', was released in May 1992 and became a surprise international hit, scoring No. 2 on the Billboard US Modern Rock (Alternative Songs) chart on 15 August 1992, and it was later covered by Tom Jones, who then asked the band to write 'Show Me (Some Devotion)' for him, with both recordings appearing on his 'The Lead And How To Swing It' album in 1994. After the success of 'A Girl Like You', the band bought their own studio, removing the financial pressure of studio rental, and they were then able to spend two years recording 'Funky Little Demons', which was released in 1994 to less than favourable reviews, with Trouser Press describing it as "straight-ahead dance music with the correct materials, but they are no longer enigmatic risk-takers, and The Wolfgang Press have become just another white post-new wave soul band". A single from the album, 'Going South', only reached No. 117 on the UK Singles Chart, and a promotional CD of 'Christianity' was also distributed in the US, but the band was dropped by 4AD before the single could be released, resulting in them breaking up. The first three EP's were compiled into 'The Legendary Wolfgang Press And Other Tall Stories' album in 1985, although the vinyl had to omit two tracks, so this collection starts with those missing pieces, plus their contribution to the classic 4AD compilation album 'Lonely Is An Eyesore, and then carries on with all their unique non-album singles and b-sides, omitting the many, many remixes that they loved to add to the flips of their singles. 

Track listing

01 The Deep Briny (from the 'Water' EP 1985)
02 Cut The Tree (from 'Lonely Is An Eyesore' 4AD compilation 1987)   
03 Muted (from the 'Sweatbox' EP 1985) 
04 The Wedding (from the 'Big Sex' EP 1987)
05 The Great Leveller (from the 'Big Sex' EP 1987)
06 That Heat (from the 'Big Sex' EP 1987)
07 God's Number (from the 'Big Sex' EP 1987)
08 Scratch (b-side of 'Kansas' 1989)
09 Twister (b-side of 'Kansas' 1989)
10 Time (single 1991)
11 A Girl Like You (single 1992)
12 Angel (b-side of 'A Girl Like You')
13 Love Will Surface (b-side of 'Christianity' promo single 1995)

The cover uses a photo by Elena Jo Melanson

The Vibes - Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind (1985)

The Vibes were formed in Essex in 1983, with the original lineup including Gary Boniface (Gaz Voola) on vocals, Lloyd Tripp on bass, Martin Parson and Bob Madden on guitars, and a fourteen year old drummer, who was replaced by John Jobagy in early 1984. Mike Spencer, frontman of The Cannibals, helped them get a foot in the garage door and The Vibes soon supported the likes of the Tall Boys and The Sting-rays, but they were unable to get a record deal, and were on the point of splitting up when they finally came to the attention of Big Beat Records, who signed them to record their debut EP 'Can You Feel The Vibes', with the band also taping a thrilling interpretation of 'Alligator Wine', which was included on the 'Revenge Of The Killer Pussies' compilation album. Lead guitarist Martin Parson departed from the band and was replaced by former Cannibal guitarist Johnny 'Mother' Johnson and this new line-up secured a deal with Chainsaw Records, who released their next 7" single, plus the classic EP 'Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind', and their only album 'What's Inside?'. The band released one final single 'Something Ain't Right' on Chainsaw  in 1986, but differences of opinion between the band members and the management had already forced a final split. They left behind one of the all-time great modern garage recordings with 'I'm In Pittsburgh (And It's Rainin')', and the rest of their material isn't far behind, so it's worth collecting all their non-album recordings here to remind us of another great forgotten band of the 80's.  

Track listing

01 The Underestimated Man (from the 'Can You Feel' EP 1984)
02 Double Decker Bus (from the 'Can You Feel' EP 1984)
03 Mini Skirt Blues (from the 'Can You Feel' EP 1984)
04 Stranger In The House (from the 'Can You Feel' EP 1984)
05 Alligator Wine (from the 'Revenge Of The Killer Pussies' compilation album 1984)
07 I Hear Noises (Extended Trip Version) (from 'Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind' 12" EP 1985)
08 I'm Mad (b-side of 'I Hear Noises' 7" 1985)
09 I'm In Pittsburgh (And It's Raining) (from 'Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind' 12" EP 1985)
00 Hasil Adkins In My Head (from 'Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind' 12" EP 1985)
11 Scratch My Back (from 'Inner Wardrobes Of Your Mind' 12" EP 1985)
12 Inside Out (I See All) (John Peel session 1985)
13 Egyptian Thing (John Peel session 1985)
14 Judgement Day (John Peel session 1985)
15 Looking In The Mirror (John Peel session 1985)

Risky Business - The Business Undone Edition (1983)

Time for another contribution from Mike Solof, and this time he's gone all the way back to 1983 to put together the complete soundtrack to a classic movie, so over to Mike.......

Inspiration struck tonight. I was doing some research and down the YouTube rabbit hole I went to finally drop down into the soundtrack for the 1983 movie 'Risky Business', featuring Tangerine Dream and classic cuts by Bob Seger, Muddy Waters, Prince and Phil Collins to name just a few. In doing my research, I found that 4 songs (by The Talking Heads, The Police, Bruce Springsteen and the Living Strings ) were cut from the Original Soundtrack. As well as that five of the songs that were on the album were shortened edits of their original versions. What made it even worse was that no official score of the entire Tangerine Dream material was ever released. I've therefore put together the ultimate 'Risky Business' soundtrack which Iʼm calling 'Risky Business - The Business Undone Edition'. My version expands the original soundtrack to include all the unedited original songs, including the Tangerine Dream selections, which consist of two new compositions and three reworkings of previously released material from 1979 and 1981, re-titled to correspond to scenes in the movie, plus the four songs left off the released soundtrack. Not only that, I've also included the complete super rare, hard to find and heavily sought-after promotional press kit album. 'Risky Business (The Audio Movie Kit)', which was issued in 1983 on a 17 minute, double vinyl set, with roughly 50 to 100 copies being made and shipped to various radio stations to promote the forthcoming movie. Eight pieces composed by Tangerine Dream were provided for this kit and they can only be found on this album, being different from the material that was used for the official release of the 'Risky Business' soundtrack album in 1984 by Virgin Records. As a final treat I've also included the entire original score of the movie, as performed by Tangerine Dream, with its 26 cuts totaling over 46 minutes of music. 

Track listing for 'Risky Business - The Business Undone Edition'

01 Every Breath You Take (The Police)

02 My Heart Tells Me (The Living Strings)
03 Old Time Rock And Roll (Bob Seger)
04.The Dream is Always the Same (Tangerine Dream - unedited version)
05 Cloudburst Flight (Tangerine Dream - unedited version of 'Guido The Killer Pimp')
06 The Pump (Jeff Beck)
07 Force Majeure (Tangerine Dream - unedited version of 'Lana')
08 Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen)
09 Mannish Boy (Muddy Waters)
10 Swamp (Talking Heads)
11 D.M.S.R. (Prince - full version)
12 After the Fall (Journey)
13 In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)
14 Love On A Real Train (Tangerine Dream - unedited version)

Track listing for the 'Risky Business (The Audio Movie Kit)'

01 No Future (Film Version)
02 Lana (Press Kit Version)
03 Guido The Killer Pimp (Press Kit Version)
04 U Boat Commander 

05 U Boat Commander (Press Kit Version)
06 Catching The Egg
07 Returning The Furniture (Press Kit Version)
08 Love On A Real Train (End Credits)
09 Joel's Dream (The Dream Is Always The Same) (bonus track)
10 Love On A Real Train (Train Sequence) (bonus track)

Track listing  for 'Risky Business - The Full Score' by Tangerine Dream

01 The Dream Is Always The Same 
02 Joel's Dream (The Dream Is Always The Same) 
03 Watering Flowers 
04 Watering Flowers (Tangram Set One) 
05 Wrong Date 
06 No Future (Film Version) 
07 No Future (Get Off The Babysitter)
08 See You Tonight 
09 Lana 
10 Bond Withdrawal 
11 Guido The Killer Pimp (Film Version) 
12 Guido The Killer Pimp (Press Kit Version) 
13 Guido The Killer Pimp (Album Version) 
14 Joel & Lana 
15 Confrontation With Guido 
16 U Boat Commander 
17 U Boat Commander (Press Kit Version) 
18 Love On A Real Train (Film Version) 
19 Love On A Real Train (Album Version) 
20 Love On A Real Train (Train Sequence) 
21 Porsche Ride 
22 Yard Sale 
23 Catching The Egg 
24 Returning The Furniture 
25 Returning The Furniture (Press Kit Version) 
26 Love On A Real Train (End Credits) 

(Tracks 15 and 16 compiled by Anthony Morales and remixed by Andy Morales)

Galaxie 500 - Victory Garden (1990)

Guitarist Dean Wareham, drummer Damon Krukowski and bassist Naomi Yang had met at the Dalton School in New York City in 1981, but began playing together during their time as students at Harvard University in 1987. Wareham and Krukowski had formed a series of punk-influenced student bands before Wareham went back to New York, and when he returned in 1987 he and Krukowski formed a new band with Yang on bass guitar, and called themselves Galaxie 500, after a friend's Ford Galaxie 500 car. The band began playing gigs in Boston and New York City, and recorded a demo which they sent to Shimmy Disc label boss and producer Mark Kramer, who agreed to produce the band. With Kramer at the controls, the band recorded the 'Tugboat' single in February 1988, and gave 'Oblivious' to a Chemical Imbalance flexi-disc, and then moved on to record their debut album' Today', which was released on the small Aurora label. The band toured the United Kingdom in late 1988/early 1989, signing to Rough Trade and releasing their second album 'On Fire' that year. 'On Fire' is considered the band's defining moment, reaching number 7 in the UK Indie Chart, and meeting with much critical acclaim, bizarrely more in the UK than in their native US. The band recorded two sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme, and this is where they really indulged their passion for off the wall cover versions, in particular their take on Jonathan Richman's 'Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste', which was voted number 41 in 1989's Festive 50 by listeners to the show. The band split up in the spring of 1991 after the release of their third album 'This Is Our Music', with Wareham later saying that it was just time for the band to be no more. In their short time together they released three of the very best indie records ever made, and even today, thirty years after they split, they are still spoken of in hushed tones by their legions of fans. After leaving Galaxie 500, Wareham tried his hand at production, working with Mercury Rev, and he also released a solo single 'Anesthesia' in February 1992, before forming a new band, Luna. Krukowski and Yang continued to record under the moniker Pierre Etoile (French for "Rock Star"), then Damon and Naomi (whose first two releases were also produced by Kramer), and finally as members of Magic Hour. Galaxie 500's music has been an influence on many later indie bands, such as Low, and their music has been covered and referenced by several well known artists. I wanted to post something here to introduce the band to people who might not know them, and I couldn't decide whether to post a b-sides compilation or a collection of their cover version, but it turned out that many of those covers were issued as b-sides to their singles, so this is actually both ideas in one post. As well as the b-sides, which include a couple of original compositions, there are four of the Peel session cover versions, and the 'Blue Thunder' single edit, which differs from the album version by including saxophone. If you don't know the band and like what you hear then do check out their three superb albums, and for current fans then don't miss out on the excellent 'Uncollected' release of rarities from 2004. The album is named after the Red Crayola song, referencing Victory Gardens, which were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks during World War I and World War II, and the cover is an original poster.   

Track listing

01 King Of Spain (b-side of 'Tugboat' 1988)
02 Blue Thunder (w/sax) (single 1990)
03 Victory Garden [The Red Crayola] (b-side of 'Blue Thunder' 1990)
04 Ceremony [New Order] (b-side of 'Blue Thunder' 1990)
05 Cold Night (b-side of 'Blue Thunder' 1990)
06 Here She Comes Now [The Velvet Underground] (b-side of 'Fourth Of July' 1990)
07 Rain [The Beatles] (single 1989)
08 Don't Let Our Youth Go To Waste [Jonathan Richman] (John Peel session 1989)
09 Submission [The Sex Pistols] (John Peel session 1990)  
10 Final Day [Young Marble Giants] (John Peel session 1990)
11 Moonshot [Buffy Saint-Marie] (John Peel session 1990)

Big Audio Dynamite - Entering A New Ride (1997)

By 1995 Big Audio Dynamite had been going for 10 years, and so their record label CBS put out 'Planet BAD - The Greatest Hits', whilst the band signed a new deal with Radioactive Records and released the album 'F-Punk' under their original name of Big Audio Dynamite. It was much more guitar orientated than previous albums, although club influences were still very much in evidence, with reviews praising the fact that it bridged the gap between rock and underground dance music, this time acid house, ambient and the ultra-fast beats of jungle. Despite the positive reviews the album wasn't a major commercial success, and the next year the band would play no live dates at all, as they worked on new material which would see them change direction once again. Work started on their second album for Radioactive in 1996, following line-up changes which saw Chris Kavanagh and Gary Stonadge leaving the band, whilst guitarist Nick Hawkins played on the sessions, but left to form his own group Dynamo Jo after the album was completed. New members Joe Attard (DJ/vocals), Bob Wond (drums/vocals), and Daryl Fulstow (bass/vocals) were recruited along with Ranking Roger on vocals, who had previously enjoyed success with both The Beat and General Public. As there were now two DJ's in the band, the emphasis switched from the guitar-driven sound of the 'F-Punk' album, to music that once again reflected current trends in UK club culture, and unlike 'Megatop Phoenix', Mick Jones' vocals were not present throughout the album, and he was credited as being the guitarist and MC. This meant other members of the group contributed more to the album vocally than on any previous projects, and it sounded somewhat different to anything the band had issued before. So different, in fact, that Radioactive Records refused to release the album when it was finished, as it seems they couldn't work out how to market a band who could change styles so dramatically from one album to the next. Promotional copies of both the single 'Sunday Best' and the album were circulated, but despite positive comments Radioactive refused to change their stance, and both the single and the album remain officially unreleased. Fans of the band started an internet campaign known as 'BAD Aid', in which they encouraged other fans to write to Radioactive Records showing an interest in the album, and requesting its release, but despite a great deal of time and effort by a number of fans the album remains in the Radioactive vaults to this day. Some time later it began to circulate amongst the band members as CD-R copies, and they started to release the tracks as mp3 files through their web-site, but they didn't manage to get through the entire album before they shut down the page and the group was history. By collecting all the files released through the site, plus other tracks that have leaked online, we can at last hear the complete album, which includes a couple of bonus tracks from the original sessions. 

Track listing

01 Man, That Is Dynamite!  
02 B.A.D. And The Night Time Ride  
03 Sunday Best  
04 Must Be The Music  
05 Taking You To Another Dimension  
06 Sound Of The B.A.D.  
07 Cozy Ten Minutes  
08 Get High  
09 Bang Ice Geezer  
10 On The Ones And Twos  
11 Nice And Easy  
12 Go With The Flow 
13 Sound Of The Joe  

For a full history of Big Audio Dynamite check out this site.

Aaliyah - Steady Ground - (2001)

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on 16 January 16 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, and was named after the feminine form of the Arabic "Ali" meaning "highest, most exalted one, the best". Her mother was a vocalist, and her uncle, Barry Hankerson, was an entertainment lawyer who had been married to Gladys Knight, and so as a child she traveled with Knight and worked with an agent in New York to audition for commercials and television programs, appearing on the talent show 'Star Search' at the age of ten. At the suggestion of her mother she dropped her surname and auditioned for several record labels, as well as appearing at concerts alongside Gladys Knight at age 11. After Hankerson gained a distribution deal with Jive Records, he signed Aaliyah to his Blackground Records label at the age of 12, later introducing her to recording artist and producer R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her first album, which was recorded when she was 14. 'Age Ain't Nothing But A Number' was released on Jive Records under her mononym "Aaliyah" in 1994, and it debuted at number 24 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 38,000 copies in its first week. The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, with some noting that her "silky vocals" and "sultry voice", blended with Kelly's new jack swing, and helped define R&B in the 1990's. The first single released from her second studio album, 'If Your Girl Only Knew', was described as a sassy, organ-infused song, and her vocals were praised for having a smoother, more seductive, and stronger tone. In 1996, she left Jive Records and signed with Atlantic Records, working with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott, who contributed to her second studio album 'One in A Million', which eventually sold over eight million copies worldwide. She graduated in drama from the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts in 1997, and began her acting career that same year, playing herself in the police drama television series 'New York Undercover', followed by her first film role in the 2000 movie 'Romeo Must Die', earning her mixed reviews from critics. She also contributed four songs to the soundtrack album, with 'Try Again' being released as a single and topping the Billboard Hot 100. After completing 'Romeo Must Die', Aaliyah began work on her second film 'Queen Of The Damned' playing an ancient vampire, Queen Akasha, which she described as a "manipulative, crazy, sexual being". Filming of her movies delayed the release of her next album, and it was suggested that having to focus on her film career may have caused her to give the album less attention it merited, with collaborator Timbaland saying that he didn't feel the same production values had gone into 'Aaliyah' as had been lavished on 'One In A Million'.  After a year of recording she finally finished the album in March 2001,and it came out in July, five years after the release of her last record.   

On 25 August 2001 Aaliyah and some employees of her record company boarded a twin-engine Cessna 402 light aircraft at the Marsh Harbour Airport in Abaco Islands, the Bahamas, to travel to the Opa-Locka Airport in Florida, after they'd completed filming the music video for 'Rock The Boat'. The plane crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board. A subsequent investigation determined that the aircraft was overloaded by 700 pounds (320 kg) when it attempted to take off, and was carrying one more passenger than it was certified for. Immediately after her death, there was uncertainty over whether the music video for 'Rock The Boat' would ever air, but it did make its world premiere on BET's Access Granted on 09 October 2001, and her second and final film, 'Queen Of The Damned', was released in February 2002. In December 2002, a collection of previously unreleased material was released as Aaliyah's first posthumous album, 'I Care 4 U', and a portion of the proceeds was donated to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, a program that benefits the Revlon UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program and Harlem's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and a single from it, 'Miss You', debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200. In April 2005 her second posthumous album, a double CD+DVD box set titled 'Ultimate Aaliyah', was released in the United Kingdom by Blackground Records. In March 2012 rumours surfaced that another posthumous album was being readied for release, but this was refuted by her brother, claiming that "no official album is being released and supported by the Haughton family", although Blackgroud continued to insist that a posthumous album, including 16 unreleased songs with contributions from Aaliyah's longtime collaborators Timbaland and Missy Elliott, would be produced and that it was scheduled to be released by the end of 2012. In August Timbaland and Missy Elliott dismissed rumors about being contacted or participating for the project, and in January 2014 it was finally confirmed that the posthumous album had been shelved due to the negative reception surrounding Drake's involvement. In August 2021, Barry Hankerson revealed that a fourth (and likely final) studio album, titled 'Unstoppable', would be released in "a matter of weeks", featuring Drake, Snoop Dogg, Ne-Yo, and Chris Brown, and the album was scheduled for a January 2022 release, although it has yet to appear. With the mysterious disappearance of 'Unstoppable', now is the time to post this collection of previously unreleased songs, none of which will appear on 'Unstoppable' when it does arrive. Aaliyah revolutionized R&B with her sultry mix of pop, soul and hip hop, and so I hope that this album is a fitting tribute to an artist who was taken from us way too soon. 

Track listing

01 La La La 
02 They Say (Quit Hatin')
03 No Days Go By
04 He Keeps Me Shakin' 
05 Steady Ground (Parts 1 & 2) 
06 Charge It To The Game (No Love) (feat. Static Major & Chris Brown)
07 Where Could He Be? (feat. Missy Elliot & Tweet)
08 Giving Up 
09 Round 'n' Round (feat. Ne-Yo) 
10 Girlfriends (feat. Yaushameen Michael)
11 Time

Bev Harrell - Give Me Time (1971)

Petite blonde pop vocalist Bev Harrell was one of the most popular female solo singers in Australia in the late 1960's, beginning her career on radio when she was just six years old in the children's radio talent series 'Kangaroos On Parade' in her hometown of Adelaide, South Australia. She started performing as a pop vocalist as a hobby in 1965 while she was still at school, and appeared as a guest singer at Adelaide suburban dances with local bands such as The Harts and The Vibrants. In 1966 she joined Barrie McAskill as co-lead singer of the reformed The Clefs, which was led by Tweed Harris, but when The Clefs relocated to Melbourne later in the year Harrell decided to stay in Adelaide, and she was eventually spotted by promoter Ron Tremaine, who offered to become her manager, turning professional under his guidance. In the mid 60's she moved to Melbourne with her new manager and boyfriend Daryl Sambell, and she soon became a regular on television pop shows including Bandstand and Kommotion. After signing with EMI, her first single was a cover of 'What Am I Doing Here with You?' by Johnny Rivers, which was written by singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan, and when it was released in late 1966 it became a national Top Ten hit, charting in most cities in January 1967, and earning her the prestigious "Best Australian Female Vocal" award in the 1966 Australian Record Awards. Thanks to her hit single, Harrell's career took off, and she gained considerable exposure as a supporting artist on tours by international names including Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, Winifred Atwell, The Rolling Stones and Roy Orbison. Two more national Top 40 placings followed, with her second single being the Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil song 'Come On Over To Our Place', originally recorded by The Drifters in 1965, and re-titled 'Come On Over To My Place'. 

June 1967's 'You Baby'/'You Are The Love Of My Life' didn't chart, but EMI still felt confident enough to release the EP 'Come On Over To Bev's Place', and her debut album 'This Is Bev' the same year. Moving to Columbia Records, her next single 'One In A Million'/'Give Me Time' fared significantly better, reaching the top 30 in most Australian cities, but unfortunately none of her subsequent singles made the charts, although they were all fine songs. In 1969 and 1970 Harrell was one of many Australian female entertainers who were sent to Vietnam to entertain Australian troops, along with colleagues such as Pat Kennedy and Anne and Sue Wills, and she also toured through Europe and Canada, where she had her own television special 'Two New' on Toronto TV. In January 1971 she released a single on Bell Records, with 'Back To The People' being written by fellow Antipodean Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, although according to Bee Gees expert Joseph Brennan, she didn't know the Gibbs and was simply offered the song by their publisher. Returning to Australia in 1972, she signed to RCA and issued three singles in 1972 and 1973, plus the album 'I Believe In Music' in 1974. Today she continues to work regularly on the musical stage and on the club and corporate circuit, and was awarded the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2006. This album collects together all of her non-album singles and b-sides from 1967 to 1971, as when she returned to Australia in 1972 she tended to go down the middle-of-the-road route for her singles, with covers of songs by Carly Simon and The Grass Roots, alongside the Christmassy 'Carols By Candlelight'. By limiting the album to just her 60's output I think it makes a nice 44-minute album, and shows that despite not being that well known outside her native Australia, she could hold her own against more well-known female singers of the time.   

Track listing

01 You Really Didn't Mean It (b-side of 'What Am I Doing Here With You' 1967)
02 Walk Among The Stars (b-side of 'Run On The Run' 1968)
03 One In A Million ‎(single 1968)
04 Give Me Time (b-side of 'One In A Million')
05 Mon Pere (single 1968)
06 At Times Like These, Mamma (b-side of 'Mon Pere')
07 One Way Ticket (single 1968)  
08 I Am The World (b-side of 'One Way Ticket')
09 You'll Never Find A Love Like Mine (acetate 1968)
10 Everybody Needs Love (single 1969)
11 My Little One (b-side of 'Everybody Needs Love')       
12 The Looking Glass ‎(single 1970)
13 Yes I'm Ready (b-side of 'The Looking Glass')
14 Bringing Back Those Memories (single 1970) 
15 Sing (b-side of 'Bringing Back Those Memories')
16 Back To The People (single 1971)
17 Travelling Easy (b-side of 'Back To The People')

Kanye West - Love Everyone (2018)

In May 2017 news began to surface that Kanye West was working in seclusion on his new album "on top of a mountain in Wyoming". In March 2018, similar reports emerged through various artists, including West himself, that he was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and a release date for the new album was being expected for either 2018 or 2019. In April 2018, West met with Rick Rubin. who was the executive producer on West's previous two studio albums, in West's office in Calabasas, and that same month he previewed the album for radio host Charlamagne tha God, announcing the album's planned release date of June 1, 2018. Revealing it to include seven tracks, and he later tweeted out a text conversation between him and Wes Lang, in which he shared the initial cover for the album, and an explanation of its concept, followed by him asking for help naming the album. Lang replied "LOVE EVERYONE," to which West replied "I love that". The cover art showed plastic surgeon Jan Adams, who had performed a liposuction and mammoplasty operation on West's mother, Donda West, which led to complications and eventually her death a day later. Within the texts, West explained that he wanted to "forgive and stop hating", implying that he was ready to forgive the plastic surgeon for the situation regarding his mother's death, but Adams responded to the news of the cover in the form of an open letter, asking West to "cease and desist using my photo or any image of me to promote your album or any of your work", while noting his willingness to sit down with West for a face to face conversation. 

West returned to Wyoming in May 2018 for more recording sessions, as outside of his own albums he was also executive producing, producing, and providing guest vocals for all of the albums by other artists that came out of these "Wyoming Sessions". However, shortly before the proposed release date for 'Love Everyone', West scrapped the whole album, and recorded a new batch of songs which was released as 'Ye' on 01 June 2018. In an interview conducted during the listening party for 'Ye', West stated that he redid the whole album after a controversial interview with the tabloid news website TMZ in May 2018, during which he revealed that he was addicted to opioids after getting liposuction, and made controversial comments about slavery, as well as suggesting that the entire 'Ye' album was recorded in a month, following the scrapping of 'Love Everyone'. As with many of West's unreleased albums, a definitive track listing doesn't exist, and even though it was stated that it included seven tracks, most of the leaked songs are fairly short, meaning that it would have been a brief thirty minute album at the most. I've therefore combined four or five suggested track listings to make a 40-minute album, and it contains most of the songs that the general consensus says should have been included, while omitting early versions of tracks that later turned up on 'Ye'.  

Track listing

01 Love Yourself
02 Lift Yourself 2049
03 Take Me To The Light (feat. Francis And The Lights & Bon Iver)
04 Queen Bitch
05 Ye vs. The People (Starring TI as The People)
06 Shoot Up (feat. Bon Iver & Santigold)
07 Fine Line (feat. Bon Iver)
08 XTCY (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

09 Simulation Baptize (feat. A$AP Rocky & Pardison Fontaine)
10 In Your Arms (feat. The-Dream & Caroline Shaw)
11 Lovely (feat. Ant Clemons & Jeremiah)
12 Brothers (feat. Charlie Wilson)

Evanescence - Solitude (1999)

Evanescence was founded by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and former lead guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody after they met at a youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1994. Their first songs were 'Solitude' and 'Give Unto Me', written by Lee, and 'Understanding' and 'My Immortal', written by Moody, although the songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal writing credit. Two of Lee and Moody's songs found playtime on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and creating demand for a show, and when the band eventually appeared live they became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means 'disappearance' or 'fading away', and under that name they released two EP's in 1998 and 1999. The first was the self-titled 'Evanescence EP', of which about 100 copies were made, and which was sold at Vino's Bar, and also handed out to family members of the band for $15 a copy. The second was the 'Sound Asleep EP', also known as the 'Whisper EP', which was limited to just 50 copies, which Moody burned onto CD-Rs on his computer. This EP was released in collaboration with Sound Asleep Records and the label Bigwig Enterprises, and although it had been named 'Whisper' by Lee and Moody, it was then forcibly named 'Sound Asleep' by Sound Asleep Records, which is why it is known by both names. This EP also includes the hidden track 'Ascension Of The Spirit', which was the first recorded instrumental made by the band, and in it's full version runs for over 11 minutes, although this is mostly silence, before a clip from the movie 'My Boyfriend's Back' that starts at 3:00, and then the actual music commences at around 8:19. For this post I've edited out all the silence to leave just the clip and the music. 

These EPs were followed in 2000 by a demo album, which was released on the Bigwig Enterprises label, and both 'Origin' and the EP's all contain demo versions of some of the songs which would later appear on their 2002 debut album 'Fallen'. As only 2,500 copies of 'Origin' were produced, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet, building up a loyal fanbase along the way. Possibly because a number of the songs from these early recordings later turned up on official releases, the EP's have not been compiled, and these versions of the songs are getting harder to find, so I've gathered them all together on one album, and also added a few out-takes from the recording sessions. From the first EP we have 'Give Unto Me', which is a dark piano ballad that Lee composed for her music class at age 14, and which was omitted from the EP due to its heavy religious influence, although an instrumental version of the song was included on their 'Sound Asleep' EP. Added to that are an early version of 'My Immortal' with different lyrics, an acoustic take of 'Understanding', and the otherwise unreleased 'October'. From the 'Sound Asleep' sessions we have 'Goodnight', which was written and performed for a local charity in Little Rock, and which was briefly considered for inclusion on their 'Sound Asleep' EP, but was omitted due to its more light-hearted feel. It was later released on a compilation CD in favor of the KABF 88.3 FM radio program Blitzkrieg in May 2000. And we end with 'You', which was a very personal song of Lee's that was conceived during the recording of 'Sound Asleep', but was omitted as Lee originally intended it to be heard by a select few people. Although the band originally asked fans not to download it, there are many posts of it on Youtube, so I'm including it on this album so you can hear it and make up their own mind about whether to keep it or not. 

Track listing

01 Where Will You Go

02 Solitude

03 Imaginary

04 Exodus

05 So Close

06 Understanding

07 The End

08 My Immortal

09 Give Unto Me

10 Understanding (acoustic version)

11 October

12 Give Unto Me (instrumental)

13 Whisper 

14 Understanding (Sound Asleep version)

15 Forgive Me

16 Ascension Of The Spirit 

17 Goodnight

18 You

Nicole Wray - Elektric Blue (2001)

In 1997, Nicole Wray appeared as a featured vocalist on the song 'Gettaway' for Missy Elliott's first album 'Supa Dupa Fly', and using that as a springboard she released her first solo single 'Make It Hot' the following year, with the record peaking in the top-five on Billboard's Hot 100. This was followed by an album of the same name, but it didn't fare as well as the single, peaking at forty-two on Billboard Top 200 Albums and ninety-one on the UK Albums Chart. Further singles from the album failed to promote sales, although in 1999 Missy Elliott once again featured Wray on her single 'All n My Grill', which achieved some success in European markets. and even garnered a gold-status certification by the SNEP. In 2000, Wray began recording her original second album titled 'Elektric Blue', releasing 'I'm Lookin'' as the lead single, but despite the record's moderate performance on the R&B chart, the album was subjected to several postponements. Wray had partnered with producers outside the SuperFriends clique, and recruited composers Diane Warren, Teddy Bishop, Harold Lily, Tamara Savage, Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo of The Neptunes/N*E*R*D during demo sessions for the album, writing songs such as 'Gonna Love You', 'Only Love', 'Dial My Heart', and 'Jump'. During the course of summer 2000, she decided to work again with collaborators Missy Elliott & Timbaland, coming up with 'Single Life', '(No Joke) Mama Used to Say', 'Club 2G', and 'Bangin' (Don't Lie)', the latter serving as one of two buzz singles for 'Elektric Blue'. Sadly, the single went nowhere due to the signing of Wary's Goldmind Inc. label-mate Torrey Carter, whose inclusion pushed her and other label-mate's projects into 2001. The event caused her to retool the album once more and choose a softer single compared to her previous selections, and the ballad 'I'm Lookin''  was chosen as the official lead single, but although it garnered minor airplay on video networks like BET's 'Midnight Love', it failed to make a bigger impression on the Billboard chart, and as a result 'Elektric Blue' was pushed back once more towards the fourth quarter of 2001, with the consequence that Wray asked to be released from her contract, and 'Elektric Blue' was consigned to the vaults. Once again, record company politics got in the way and prevented a fine album from being heard by the fans, and so, just as Lady Wary re-emerges with her new album 'Piece Of Me', here is a chance to hear that shelved recording, and to curse the record company for keeping it hidden away. 'Sweetest' was only a brief minute and a half long, so I've extended it into a more listenable three minute piece. 

Track listing

01 I'm Lookin'
02 Not My Man (Meet Me At The Spot)
03 (No Joke) Mama Used To Say (feat. Redman & Missy Elliott)
04 Wanna Cruise
05 Single Life (Interlude) (feat. Missy Elliott)

06 Sweetest
07 Bangin' (Don't Lie) (feat. Prodigy)
08 (You) Played The Game
09 Sayonara
00 U Can't Be Me
11 Gonna Love You
12 Ghetto Children (feat. Bizzy)