Bob Dylan is 70: Dylan & The Band - A Tree With Roots 1 & 2 (The Genuine Basement Tapes) REPOST

Here's the whole repost, for Bob's 70th birthday:

I don't know if there is any need to go and explain what the basement tapes are (btw, after dylan's famous motorbike accident -probably an exaggereted one- his Bobness himself decided to take some time for himself, some time in the country -Woodstock was the place, just playin' round with The Band some old american music -some would call it Americana these days- and improved some new tunes, the most of it in a totally free way, with no push whatsover), but the fact is, and this has to be stated clear, the basement tapes which later got to be released through Sony were never intended to be for the public audience and, more important to us, they were just the tip of the iceberg.
Meaning there were loads of songs (and songs and songs...) left in Dylan's archives (want me to name one? The stuning "I'm not there", which gave the name for Todd Haynes's bizarre biopic last year), and all of that soon came out labelled as "Genuine basement tapes", a 5 CDs collection full of interesting material though not lacking flaws(i.e. the recording quality being the major one, and then, well, maybe too many takes or some not-so interesting short bits or sketches of songs, but hey, de gustibus...).
So what is "A Tree With Roots" then?
Quite easy to tell: the same genuine tapes, remastered, but with an order which kind of tries to make some sense out of the mass of pretty random music compositions. All of it compressed in a 4 volumes edition, and here am I giving you the first two (what'll you find in these? I'd say some little gems like Lock your door, Bonnie ship the diamond, or Dylan and the Band covering Bells of rhymney...but these are just some of my faves, and there are 58 in here, so knock yourself off and your own ones). And wait for 3 & 4 (with Going to Acapulco, the now famous I'm not there and the very core of the basement tapes, I'd say)

Want to to know more on ATWR? Check this page here (for the complete tracklist, the story and some notes). Or wiki for the whole story behind the basement tapes.

Enjoy, enjoy.
Next (in a couple of days): Vol. 3 & 4.

A Tree With Roots Vol. 1
A Tree With Roots Vol. 2

T.Rex: Rabbit Fighter (The Alternate Slider)

I do have some problems with the 70's and that rock scene: I have never been into prog nor into hard rock, so I have always had problems coping with that decade (in music). That's one of the reasons why I haven't given many chances to Marc Bolan...oh, I know, I was young and foolish. Except that I actually wasn't even that young. Anyway: The Slider has been my point of entry into Bolan's music: funny (as all T. Rex albums should be), but with some great ballads (well, kinda: is Spaceball ricochet a ballad? Still: I love it) and wonderful, really awesome sounds. So, when I decided to post something Bolan-related I thought that Rabbit Fighter (alternate versions to the songs on The Slider) would come handy.

Basically: Rabbit Fighter is a bit more stripped down (and sometimes rougher) than the actual Slider, and it comprises tracks that sound like acoustic demos more than properly arranged songs (Thunderwing, Baby strange, Ballroom Mars, Telegram Sam: nearly a Tyrannosaurus Rex number in this shape) . Plus: Cadillac's demo (which was the b-side of Telegram Sam). And if you love Bolan you gotta listen to this.

Rabbit Fighter

Repost: The go-betweens's Acoustic Stories (the mp3's)

Here's the whole repost.
I assume many of you, if you are go-betweens' fans, already know the "That striped sunlight sound"DVD, which is divided into two sections: one the proper concert, and two the Acoustic Stories part, where Robert and Grant talked about their career and performed 11 songs out of it in splendid stripped-down acoustic versions. I had been looking for the MP3's of that acoustic performance for a long time but with no luck, then I finally rolled up my sleeves, found the right software and did it myself: it took me some time so I really hope you appreciate it.
I have also decided to create two zip files: one with the "complete"acoustic stories (including all the talks inbetweens songs), and one songs-only.
All of it @ 192k.

Tracklist:

1. Lee Remick
2. Cattle and Cane
3. Part Company
4. Bachelor Kisses
5. Head Full of Steam
6. Bye Bye Price
7. Dive for Your Memory
8. German Farm House
9. Too Much of One Thing
10. Here Comes the City
11. Finding You

The Acoustic Stories
The "Complete" Acoustic Stories

Sandy Denny: 2010 Box Set Vol 8 (Bonus Tracks)

I haven't posted anything in a very looooong time, I know. So I'm starting again today with what I hope it's going to be a very appreciated post, i.e. the bonus tracks to the eighth volume of last year's Sandy Denny Box. I mean: it is a REAL shame that the box (at least the physical one) isn't available anymore...
But the reason why, of all the volumes of this wonderful Box Set, I have chosen the eighth one is because I have always thought that Denny's 1974 "Like an old fashioned waltz" is such an underrated LP, but probably so because (and rightly so) of the production: all those cheesy strings... So, listening to these six tracks with no strings was quite a joy to my ears.

Coming soon: more Go-Betweens.

Box Set Vol. 8 (Bonus Tracks)