GoodFlower, Author at Lossless Music Archives

Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos (2022) [Japanese SHM-CD, Deluxe Edition]

Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos (2022) [Japanese SHM-CD, Deluxe Edition]

Def Leppard count upon a fair portion of their audience recognizing the title Diamond Star Halos as a nod to a lyric from T. Rex, the glam titans who served as an eternal inspiration for the pop-metal bad. Glam has served as a primary motivator for Def Leppard before — witness their fine 2006 album Yeah!, where they covered T. Rex’s “20th Century Boy,” along with Sweet, David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, and Roxy Music — so it would appear that Diamond Star Halos would once again find the group returning to the glittering well. Continue reading “Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos (2022) [Japanese SHM-CD, Deluxe Edition]”

Willie Nelson – The Willie Nelson Family (2021) [Japan Release]

Willie Nelson - The Willie Nelson Family (2021) [Japan Release]

Willie Nelson started calling his backing band the Family way back in 1973, right around the time he split from RCA, grew out his hair, and headed back to Texas. The Family also are featured on Willie Nelson Family, but this 2021 album is designed to feature his kin, including his sister Bobbie, his sons Lukas and Micah –the linchpins of Promise of the Real, sometimes backing band of Neil Young — and daughters Paula and Amy. Continue reading “Willie Nelson – The Willie Nelson Family (2021) [Japan Release]”

Van Morrison – What’s It Gonna Take? (2022)

Van Morrison - What's It Gonna Take? (2022)

Arriving hot on the heels of Latest Record Project, Vol. 1, the 2021 double album where Van Morrison unleashed all of his frustrations at being locked down during the COVID-19 pandemic, What’s It Gonna Take? finds the singer doubling down on all of his gripes. Continue reading “Van Morrison – What’s It Gonna Take? (2022)”

Frijid Pink – All Pink Inside (1974) [1996, Reissue]

Frijid Pink - All Pink Inside (1974) [1996, Reissue]

All Pink Inside is an album by the American band Frijid Pink. The band includes long-time original drummer Richard “Rick” Stevers, along with new members Jo Baker (vocals) and bassist Larry Popolizio. Frijid Pink returned to their blues rock roots without the added heavy psychedelia heard on the previous three albums. The album contains a cover of Chuck Berry’s “School Days.” Continue reading “Frijid Pink – All Pink Inside (1974) [1996, Reissue]”

Frijid Pink – Defrosted (1970) [1991, Reissue]

Frijid Pink - Defrosted (1970) [1991, Reissue]

Frijid Pink’s second album was so-so hard rock on the verge of becoming heavy metal. Most of the songs were built on rote blues-rock riffs, with the macho bluster paced by Kelly Green’s husky voice, which generally tried too hard and was too full of itself. Continue reading “Frijid Pink – Defrosted (1970) [1991, Reissue]”

Frijid Pink – Frijid Pink (1970) [1991 Reissue]

Frijid Pink - Frijid Pink (1970) [1991 Reissue]

Frijid Pink’s self-titled debut album is a slashing, seriously soulful example of late-’60s Detroit rock near its best. Although they never registered with critics or rock historians the way MC5 or the Stooges did, Frijid Pink had obviously learned something in the course of two years on the road, and with Mike Valvano producing, they were able to channel the excitement of their work onto the grooves of this album very neatly. Continue reading “Frijid Pink – Frijid Pink (1970) [1991 Reissue]”

Blossom Dearie – The Complete Recordings 1952-62 (2014) [4CD Set]

Blossom Dearie - The Complete Recordings 1952-62 (2014) [4CD Set]

American jazz singer and pianist, Margrethe Blossom Dearie, was born April 28, 1924 in East Durham, New York, to a father of Irish-Scottish descent and a mother of Norwegian descent. As a child she studied classical piano but switched to jazz in her teens. Often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her light and girlish voice, she was one of the last supper club performers, hosting regular engagements in London and New York City across many years. After high school Dearie moved to New York City to pursue a music career and began to sing in groups such as the Blue Flames (with the Woody Herman Orchestra) and the Blue Reys (with Alvino Rey’s band) before starting her solo career. Continue reading “Blossom Dearie – The Complete Recordings 1952-62 (2014) [4CD Set]”

Edgar Winter – Brother Johnny (2022)

Edgar Winter - Brother Johnny (2022)

Various Artists – Here Comes Summer: 60 Sunshine Holiday Greats (2021) [3CD-Set]

Various Artists - Here Comes Summer: 60 Sunshine Holiday Greats (2021) [3CD-Sets]

Various Artists – Greatest Ever Decade 90s (2021) [4CD-Set]

Various Artists - Greatest Ever Decade 90s (2021) [4CD-Set]

Can it really be over twenty years since the decade before the millennium: the 1990s GREATEST EVER DECADE 90s will scratch your nostalgic itch, harking back to a time where Deee-Lite, Kylie Minogue and Cher brought pop to the dancefloor, R&B ruled the radio with groups like En Vogue, Eternal and Jade, and big ballads by Seal Continue reading “Various Artists – Greatest Ever Decade 90s (2021) [4CD-Set]”

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – Looking Glass: A Collection (1992)

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap - Looking Glass: A Collection (1992)

Gary Puckett & the Union Gap were originally an actual band, but by the time the musicians entered the recording studio with producer and songwriter Jerry Fuller, the focus fell on Puckett’s strong, smooth baritone voice, and the Union Gap part of the equation was buried under a MOR barrage of strings, horns, and choirs. The formula worked, however, and the group enjoyed five Top 40 hits between 1967 and 1969, including “Woman, Woman,” “Lady Willpower,” the dangerously pedophilic “Young Girl,” and the majestic, soaring “Over You,” all of which are featured in this collection. Continue reading “Gary Puckett & The Union Gap – Looking Glass: A Collection (1992)”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River (1969) [1993, DCC Remastered, 24 Karat Gold]

If anything, CCR’s third album Green River represents the full flower of their classic sound initially essayed on its predecessor, Bayou Country. One of the differences between the two albums is that Green River is tighter, with none of the five-minute-plus jams that filled out both their debut and Bayou Country, but the true key to its success is a peak in John Fogerty’s creativity. Continue reading “Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River (1969) [1993, DCC Remastered, 24 Karat Gold]”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country (1968) [1993, DCC Remastered, 24 Karat Gold CD]

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Bayou Country (1968) [1993, DCC Remastered, 24 Karat Gold CD]

Opening slowly with the dark, swampy “Born on the Bayou,” Bayou Country reveals an assured Creedence Clearwater Revival, a band that has found its voice between their first and second album. It’s not just that “Born on the Bayou” announces that CCR has discovered its sound — it reveals the extent of John Fogerty’s myth-making. Continue reading “Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bayou Country (1968) [1993, DCC Remastered, 24 Karat Gold CD]”

Falco – The Sound Of Musik: The Greatest Hits (2022)

Falco - The Sound Of Musik: The Greatest Hits (2022)

On the eve of what would have been his 65th birthday, Sony Austria are to issue a new Falco best of called The Sound of Musik. This presents the singles in chronological order from 1981’s Ganz Wien to 1998’s Out of the Dark. Continue reading “Falco – The Sound Of Musik: The Greatest Hits (2022)”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy And The Poor Boys (1969) [1994, DCC Remastered, 24-Karat Gold]

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Willy And The Poor Boys (1969) [1994, DCC Remastered, 24-Karat Gold]

Make no mistake, Willy & the Poor Boys is a fun record, perhaps the breeziest album CCR ever made. Apart from the eerie minor-key closer “Effigy” (one of John Fogerty’s most haunting numbers), there is little of the doom that colored Green River. Fogerty’s rage remains, blazing to the forefront on “Fortunate Son,” a working-class protest song that cuts harder than any of the explicit Vietnam protest songs of the era, which is one of the reasons that it hasn’t aged where its peers have. Also, there’s that unbridled vocal from Fogerty and the ferocious playing on CCR, which both sound fresh as they did upon release. Continue reading “Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy And The Poor Boys (1969) [1994, DCC Remastered, 24-Karat Gold]”