b.s.o. almodóvar

Original released on Double CD EMI 50999 5 1 2859 2 0

(MEXICO 2007, December 4)

¿Qué tienen en común Caetano Veloso, Manzanita y Miguel de Molina? Lo mismo que Chavela Vargas y Sara Montiel con Los Panchos: Pedro Almodóvar. Estos nombres y muchos otros han prestado su voz al director en las bandas sonoras de sus películas y ahora quedan reunidos en "B.S.O. Almodóvar". El disco recoge la esencia de la filmografía del realizador de "Todo sobre mi madre". «Las canciones en mis películas son parte esencial del guión, una especie de voz en of musical que explica, desvela secretos y enriquece la acción donde aparece», escribe Pedro Almodóvar en el libreto de "B.S.O. Almodóvar", un doble CD que recoge 29 canciones de sus filmes elegidas por el manchego. «En esta banda sonora recopilatoria de las canciones que han aparecido en mis películas hay de todo, y sobre todo intérpretes geniales (con la excepción de un servidor berreando el divertimento que lleva por título "Gran Ganga")», explica Almodóvar. «Impera el eclecticismo, hay mucho desgarro, pero también hay pop ligero, incluso 'disco music', y ternura y emoción a raudales».

 

Toda la filmografía 'almodovariana' está representada por artistas «en la cima de su talento y cantando temas inspiradísimos», según la opinión del director. Es una mirada diferente y fundamental hacia su cine a través de la música porque estas canciones «tienen una función dramática y narrativa, y son tan descriptivas como los colores, la luz, los decorados o los diálogos». Cantantes que, afirma Almodóvar, «he tenido la suerte de que me acompañaran y enriquecieran mi vida y mi cine, y me gustaría compartirlos con vosotros y que los disfrutárais tanto como yo».

DISCO 1:

1. Tajabone (Ismaël Lo, 1996) 

"Todo Sobre Mi Madre"

2. Cucurrucucú Paloma (Caetano Veloso, 2002) 

"Hable Con Ella"

3. Luz de Luna (Chavela Vargas, 1991) 

"Kika"

4. Tonada de Luna Llena (Caetano Veloso, 1994) 

"La Flor de Mi Secreto"

5. Ne Me Quitte Pas (Maysa Mataraso, 1966) 

"La Ley del Deseo"

6. Lo Dudo (Los Panchos, 1953) 

"La Ley del Deseo"

7. Espérame en el Cielo (Mina, 1981) 

"Matador"

8. La Bien Pagá (Miguel de Molina, 1957) 

"Que He Hecho Yo Para Merecer Esto?"

9. Quizás, Quizás, Quizás (Sara Montiel, 1963) 

"La Mala Educación"

10. Soy Lo Prohibido (Olga Guillot, 1993) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

11. Puro Teatro (La Lupe, 2006) 

"Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios"

12. Soy Infeliz (Lola Beltrán, 1969) 

"Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios"

13. Por Toda a Minha Vida (Elis Regina e António Carlos Jobim, 1974) 

"Hable Con Ella"

14. La Cumparsita (Xavier Cugat, 1946) 

"Kika"

15. Las Espigadoras (La Rosa del Azafrán) (F. Delta, 1962) 

"Volver"

DISCO 2:

1. Un Año De Amor (Luz Casal, 1991) 

"Tacones Lejanos"

2. Piensa en Mi (Luz Casal, 1991)

"Tacones Lejanos"

3. En el Último Trago (Chavela Vargas, 1994) 

"La Flor de mi Secreto"

4. Encadenados (Lucho Gatica, 1989) 

"Entre Tiniebles"

5. Sufre Como Yo (Albert Pla, 1995) 

"Carne Tremula"

6. A Good Thing (Saint Etienne, 2005) 

"Volver"

7. Gran Ganga (Almodóvar & McNamara, 1982) 

"Laberinto de Pasiones"

8. Where Is My Man (Eartha Kitt, 1983) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

9. Resistiré (Dúo Dinámico, 1988) 

"Átame"

10. Volver (Estrella Morente, 2006) 

"Volver"

11. El Rosario de Mi Madre (Duquende con Manzanita, 1999) 

"Carne Tremula"

12. Se Nos Rompió el Amor (Bernanda y Fernanda de Utrera, 1990) 

"Kika"

13. Voy (Bambino, 1967) 

"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

14. Cuando Nadie Te Quiera (Bambino, 1964) 
"Trailer Para Amantes de lo Prohibido"

"The Day Music Died"

Original released on LP United Artists UAS-5535

(US, 1971)

Don McLean's second album, "American Pie", which was his first to gain recognition after the negligible initial sales of 1970's "Tapestry", is necessarily dominated by its title track, a lengthy, allegorical history of rock & roll, because it became an unlikely hit, topping the singles chart and putting the LP at number one as well. "American Pie" has remained as much a cultural touchstone as a song, sung by everyone from Garth Brooks to Madonna, its title borrowed for a pair of smutty teen comedies, while the record itself has earned a registered three-million plays on U.S. radio stations. There may not be much more to note about it, then, except perhaps that even without a crib sheet to identify who's who, the song can still be enjoyed for its engaging melody and singable chorus, which may have more to do with its success than anything else. Of course, the album also included "Vincent," McLean's paean to Van Gogh, which has been played two-million times. Nothing else on the album is as effective as the hits, but the other eight original songs range from sensitive fare like "Till Tomorrow" to the sarcastic, uptempo "Everybody Loves Me, Baby." "American Pie" - the album - is very much a record of its time; it is imbued with the vague depression of the early '70s that infected the population and found expression in the works of singer/songwriters. "American Pie" - the song - is really a criticism of what happened in popular music in the '60s, and "Vincent" sympathizes with Van Gogh's suicide as a sane comment on an insane world. "Crossroads" and "Empty Chairs" are personal reflections full of regret and despondency, with the love song "Winterwood" providing the only respite. In the album's second half, the songs get more portentous, tracing society's ills into war and spiritual troubles in "The Grave" and "Sister Fatima." The songs are made all the more poignant by the stately folk-pop arrangements and McLean's clear, direct tenor. It was that voice, equally effective on remakes of pop oldies, that was his salvation when he proved unable to match the songwriting standard set on "Tapestry" and this collection. But then, the album has an overall elegiac quality that makes it sound like a final statement. After all, if the music has died, what else is there to say?

TONY JOE WHITE: The 3rd Album

Original released on LP Monument SLP 18142

(US, 1970)

THE YOUNGBLOODS Debut Album

Original released on LP RCA Victor LSP 3724

(US, January 1967)

First time I recall hearing The Youngbloods on the radio with their lone "hit" ("Get Together"), I thought they had a female singer! Never thought much of them nor ever wanted to collect them. Years later seeing them on a bootleg dvd with them performing "Tears Are Falling" on American Bandstand made me rethink things, even with their lame Dick Clark interview and his attention given to their "Zal Yanovsky" Banana (talented multi-instrumentalist who had a wacky hairstyle with a goofy name) Anyway I tracked down a copy of their debut lp and was very pleased to find it to be well done. A few bad choices of covers like "C.C. Rider" - done better by The Animals and "Aint That Lovin' You Baby" - done better by labelmates The Blue Things, are the only weak areas. The rest of the Lp including the beautiful "Foolin' Around" and "Four in the Morning" prove that they were not a one hit wonder. (in RateYourMusic)

THE WHO - "Who's Next" (+ 7 Bonus Tracks)

Original released on LP 
Decca 79182 (US 1971, August 14)
Track 2408.102 (UK 1971, August 25)

Much of "Who's Next" derives from Lifehouse, an ambitious sci-fi rock opera Pete Townshend abandoned after suffering a nervous breakdown, caused in part from working on the sequel to "Tommy". There's no discernable theme behind these songs, yet this album is stronger than "Tommy", falling just behind "Who Sell Out" as the finest record the Who ever cut. Townshend developed an infatuation with synthesizers during the recording of the album, and they're all over this album, adding texture where needed and amplifying the force, which is already at a fever pitch. Apart from "Live at Leeds", the Who have never sounded as LOUD and unhinged as they do here, yet that's balanced by ballads, both lovely ("The Song Is Over") and scathing ("Behind Blue Eyes"). That's the key to "Who's Next" - there's anger and sorrow, humor and regret, passion and tumult, all wrapped up in a blistering package where the rage is as affecting as the heartbreak. This is a retreat from the '60s, as Townshend declares the "Song Is Over," scorns the teenage wasteland, and bitterly declares that we "Won't Get Fooled Again." For all the sorrow and heartbreak that runs beneath the surface, this is an invigorating record, not just because Keith Moon runs rampant or because Roger Daltrey has never sung better or because John Entwistle spins out manic basslines that are as captivating as his "My Wife" is funny. This is invigorating because it has all of that, plus Townshend laying his soul bare in ways that are funny, painful, and utterly life-affirming. That is what the Who was about, not the rock operas, and that's why "Who's Next" is truer than "Tommy" or the abandoned Lifehouse. Those were art - this, even with its pretensions, is rock & roll. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

TONY JOE WHITE: The 2nd Album

Original Released on LP Monument SLP 18133 

(US, 1969)

"Polk Salad Annie" By ELVIS PRESLEY

"Polk Salad Annie" By TONY JOE WHITE

TONY JOE WHITE Debut Album

Original Released on LP Monument SLP 18114
(US, 1969)

TONY JOE WHITE R.I.P.

1943, July 23, Oak Grove, Louisiana, US >>>

 2018, October 24, Nashville, Tennessee, US

JONATHAN KING Debut Album

Original released on LP Decca LK 4908

(UK, 1967)

Jonathan King's debut album, released almost two years after his initial hit single, was compiled from the string of 45's he released in both the U.S. and U.K. thereafter - of which just one, 1966's "Where the Sun Has Never Shone," proved even halfway successful. But each of the remaining numbers, the A-sides "Green Is the Grass," "Just Like a Woman," "Icicles," "Seagulls," and their corresponding flips, have a charm that is at least comparable to the hits, with King revealing himself as precisely the kind of witty, smart, and ever-so-slightly smarmy singer/songwriter one would expect from a man with his subsequent pedigree. That said, little here reveals the almost scientific understanding of pop that King would subsequently turn into such devastating value. Quite plausibly the most honest of King's many albums, the majority of the songs are performed as straight-faced as their lyrics are strait-laced, with only the aforementioned "Where the Sun Has Never Shone," and the futility-of-life shaped "Seagulls" truly hinting towards any kind of alternate subtext. "Passions of Ancient Egypt," meanwhile, could have sprung from any Cat Stevens-shaped pen of the age, suggesting that King could easily have carved himself a career in modern troubadouring, had he not veered off on so many other courses. (Dave Thompson in AllMusic)

DONOVAN: "Sunshine Superman"

Original released on LP Epic LN 24217

(US 1966, August 26)

Paced by the title track, one of Donovan's best singles, 1966's "Sunshine Superman" heralded the coming psychedelic age with a new world/old world bent: several ambitious psychedelic productions and a raft of wistful folk songs. Producer Mickie Most fashioned a new sound for the Scottish folksinger, a sparse, swinging, bass-heavy style perfectly complementing Donovan's enigmatic lyrics and delightfully skewed, beatnik delivery. The two side-openers, "Sunshine Superman" and "Season of the Witch," are easily the highlights of the album; the first is the quintessential bright summer sing-along, the second a chugging eve-of-destruction tale. The rest of "Sunshine Superman" is filled with lengthy, abstract, repetitive folk jams, perfect for lazy summer afternoons, but more problematic when close attention is paid. Accompanied by acoustic guitar and a chamber quartet, the second track, "Legend of a Girl Child Linda," plods on for nearly seven minutes, Donovan's hippie-dippie delivery rendering "lace" into "layyyzzz." After that notable low point, he performs much better, tingling a few spines with his enunciation on the ancient-sounding folksongs "Guinevere," "Three King Fishers," and "Ferris Wheel." Elsewhere, he salutes the Jefferson Airplane on "The Fat Angel" and fellow British folkie Bert Jansch on "Bert's Blues." Donovan's songs are quite solid, but Mickie Most's insistence on extroverted productions (it would grow even more pronounced with time) resulted in a collection of songs that sound good on their own but aren't very comfortable in context. (John Bush in AllMusic)

HEDGEHOPPERS ANONYMOUS

Banda inglesa formada em 1963 e composta por Mick Tinsley (vocais), John Stewart (guitarra solo), Alan Laud (guitarra ritmica), Ray Honeybull (guitarra baixo) e Leslie Dash (bateria). Começaram por se chamar The Trendsetters, mas devido ao facto de, com excepção de Alan, todos eles trabalharem nas instalações da Royal Air Force em Peterborough, resolveram alterar o nome para Hedgehoppers (uma das características dos pilotos da RAF era o voo a baixas altitudes, em inglês “hedge hopping”). Na primavera de 1965, Jonathan King, produtor da Decca Records, tinha composto uma canção de protesto sobre a bomba atómica e os seus efeitos devastadores chamada “It’s Good News Week”, e procurava um novo grupo que pudesse interpretar esse tema. Viu os Hedgehoppers a actuarem num bar chamado “Cambridge Corn Exchange” e contratou-os, acrescentando a palavra “Anonymous” ao nome do grupo. A gravação teve lugar num estúdio londrino, com direcção musical de Arthur Greenslade (consta que Jimmy Page participou também na sessão), e a canção tornou-se rapidamente num grande sucesso (que seria o único da banda), chegando ao nº 5 das tabelas de venda inglesas. A versão original que foi distribuida pelas estações de rádio continha um verso alusivo à matança de vacas sagradas na Asia, o qual foi posteriormente retirado pela editora, por ser considerado ofensivo. E foi já sem este verso que o single chegou às lojas. O tema, numa outra versão, foi usado nos finais dos anos 90 num programa cómico da televisão Australiana, intitulado precisamente “Good News Week” (1996–2000). Devido a compromissos profissionais Dash e Honeybull abandonam o grupo, sendo substituídos por Tom Fox e Glenn Martin. Gravam mais 4 singles, mas sem o sucesso do primeiro, o que leva ao desmembramento do grupo nos finais de 1966, não sem antes terem participado no filme “Run With The Wind”, juntamente com The Nashville Teens e Sean Phillips. Mike Tinsley compôs ainda diversos temas interpretados por Joe Dolan e Kelly Marie, entre outros.

THE SINGLES:

- "It's Good News Week" / "Afraid Of Love"

(Decca F 12241, 1965/09) UK#5

- "Don't Push Me" / "Please Don't Hurt Your Heart For Me"

(Decca F 12298,1965/12)

- "Baby (You're My Everything)" / "Remember"

(Decca F 12400, 1966/05)

- "Daytime" / "That's The Time"

(Decca F 12479, 1966/08)

- "Stop Press" / "Little Memories"

(Decca F 12530, 1966/12)

Das cinzas dos Hedgehoppers Anonymous e depois de sucessivas entradas e saídas, é formado um novo grupo que adopta o nome inicial (já sem o “Anonymous” portanto) que depois de algumas digressões pela Europa chega à África do Sul nos finais de 1968, onde começam por tocar numa boite de Durban, antes de se fixarem definitivamente em Johannesburg. No ano seguinte conseguem um hit local, “Mary, Mary” e dois anos depois gravam um album intitulado “HEY!”. Nesta altura, Julho de 1971, o grupo é constituído pelo seguinte quarteto: Andy Ioannides (vocalista), Mick Matthews (guitarra), Colin Turner (guitarra-baixo) e Bill Honeyman (bateria). O single “A Song For Pete”, extraído do album, chega ao nº 5 da LM Radio, mantendo-se no TOP 20 durante oito semanas. O segundo single do album, “Hey!” faz também sucesso, atingindo o 6º lugar da mesma tabela de venda e torna-se o maior êxito do grupo em terras sul-africanas. Em 1972 é ainda editado o single “Blue, Blue, Blue”, mas Bill Honeyman e Colin Turner morrem num acidente de carro, e o grupo acaba de vez. Mick Matthews ainda se junta aos Ballyhoo em 1975 com os quais toca alguns anos antes de iniciar uma carreira a solo. No início da década de 80 participa ainda da Millar-Matthews Band.

Nesta compilação, e apesar de se tratar de dois grupos totalmente distintos, reúnem-se os 5 singles dos primeiros Hedgehoppers Anonymous e o album “Hey!” dos segundos Hedgehoppers.

ERIC CLAPTON: "Slowhand" (35th Anniversary)

Original released on LP RSO RS 1-3030

(US 1977, November 25)

After the guest-star-drenched "No Reason to Cry" failed to make much of an impact commercially, Eric Clapton returned to using his own band for "Slowhand". The difference is substantial - where "No Reason to Cry" struggled hard to find the right tone, "Slowhand" opens with the relaxed, bluesy shuffle of J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" and sustains it throughout the course of the album. Alternating between straight blues ("Mean Old Frisco"), country ("Lay Down Sally"), mainstream rock ("Cocaine," "The Core"), and pop ("Wonderful Tonight"), "Slowhand" doesn't sound schizophrenic because of the band's grasp of the material. This is laid-back virtuosity - although Clapton and his band are never flashy, their playing is masterful and assured. That assurance and the album's eclectic material make "Slowhand" rank with "461 Ocean Boulevard" as Eric Clapton's best albums. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

This 35th anniversary Deluxe edition offers 4 bonus tracks - "Looking at the Rain" (by Gordon Lightfood), "Alberta" (a traditional song), "Greyhound Bus" and "Stars, Strays and Ashtrays" (both written by Clapton) and a second CD with a Live Show (9 tracks) at Hammersmith Odeon, London, April 27, 1977. Although the concert is of the same era as the "Slowhand" sessions, it was performed prior to the album's recording and release, and so does not include any of the album's tracks. The record has been remastered from the original Olympic Studios 1/4″ flat analog master tapes and the session tracks and live performances are newly mixed from the original two-inch analogue tapes. Pay attention to Yvonne Elliman rendition of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" and the epic version (14 minutes) of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff".

"Bonnie & Clyde" OST + 3 Bonus Tracks

Original released on LP Warner Bros W 1742

(US, 1967)