Bo Hansson - Magician's Hat
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 326 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI # 724386444721 | Country/Year: UK 2004, 1974
Genre: Rock | Style: Progressive Rock

Hansson's second album is more jazz-tinged and less successful than his first, being more diffuse and lacking some of the energy of Lord of the Rings. Still, there is a compelling power to some of this music, as his organ, guitar, and synthesizer alternately move out in front – think of a space-rock version of Jimmy Smith or early Herbie Hancock…

Michael Zweig has been writing and performing for more than twenty years. He got his start in the late 70's playing guitar for such local legends as Ray Materick, Lisa Hartt, Peter Foldy, and Bob Segarini. He first became a lead singer in one of the Downstairs El Mocambo's favourite bands, The Stingers, where he re-discovered his love of 60's music.

Clifford’s Symphony 1940 was started in 1938 and completed in 20 August 1940, the closing bars written during one of the first air raids on London. The BBC recorded the movements of the Symphony separately during the war for the ‘Special Music’ broadcasts. In February 1946 it was performed in Sydney Town Hall in an all-Australian programme. Conducted by the American Maurice Abravanel, Clifford shared the programme with his friend John Gough’s The Wallaby Track. At the time it was reported as a seminal concert, celebrating the achievement of Australian Music. Since a BBC Concert in 1950 it has, however, remained unplayed………

Opa was a band formed in United States by uruguayan musicians: Hugo and George (Osvaldo) Fattoruso and Ringo Thielmann. Hugo and Osvaldo were playing since their childhood, formerly in the "Trio Fattoruso", together with their father, and later in the Hot Blowers in Uruguay (a Jazz Band), were also played Ringo. In the 60's, the Fattoruso brothers formed the successfull band "The Shakers", an Beatles-influenced band. It was after the split of The Shakers when the Fattoruso brothers moved to the United States, where they met again with Ringo Thielman, and started playing music in night clubs. They were "discovered" by Airto Moreira and invited to play with him, they were the band in Airto's Fingers LP from 1973, and played in the live show at Madison Square Garden with Airto in a show together with Eumir Deodato (later released as Deodato/Airto in Concert). One of the highlights of that show was Hugo Fattoruso's "Parana".

Recorded at Teatro Comunale, Ferrara, January 2008
Motezuma is Vivaldi’s only opera set in the New World. The manuscripts for this rarely performed and rarely heard opera were only rediscovered in 2002 and currently only one CD version exists recorded by Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco.

Kaotik have a mix of Morgoth, Entombed, Pestilence, and Obituary in their sound- the sense of apocalyptic vision as the riffs unfurl, sometimes in an ascending fashion with speedy trilling or at other times drop tuned with simplistic grooves made for windmill action. From opener "War at the Door" to the scary epic ending "Inbreeding" with Alexis taking the bass lead at times, Kaotik feel perfectly at home in a direction that Asphyx and Hail Of Bullets know has met with fan favor.

SEVEN NAILS stand for melodic metal with classical and progressive elements from southern Germany. Drummer John Auer, bassist Leo Reinhardt and guitarist Mathias Schmid form the foundation for the complex sound of all SEVEN NAILS - songs. This basis is extended by the polyphonic clear vocals of Daniela Marx, Julian Volkmann Huettl and Marion, the latter contributing not only the third voice, but also beyond their electric violin sound the band adds. Rounding out the sound is by pianist / keyboardist Tim Lobitz.

The fourth Queen album released in the late 1975 has long been regarded as a classic. The brilliant mix of hard rock, pop, opera, music hall camp and traditional folk, utilising multi layered guitars, crunching riffs, vocal harmonies, piano flourishes, a harp, a ukulele and 'no synthesisers' all combine to make it one of the great albums of the last three decades. Their faultless musicianship, with the 'Sonic Volcano' rhythm section of Roger Taylor and John Deacon, Brian May's guitar virtuosity and the spectacular Freddie Mercury up front, led to Queen being crowned as one of the greatest rock acts of all time.