GoodFlower, Author at Lossless Music Archives

Mötley Crüe – The Dirt Soundtrack (2019)

Mötley Crüe - The Dirt Soundtrack (2019)

Biopic The Dirt tells the story of Mötley Crüe’s wild ride through their time as one of the most popular and most debaucherous bands of the metal years. During a blistering run that lasted the entirety of the ’80s, the L.A. band sold millions of records, toured the world, and challenged death constantly with reckless behavior, substance abuse, and the kind of mayhem that sometimes seems like it only existed in the time when hair metal reigned. Some of these misadventures were collected in the 2001 book The Dirt, and the 2019 film adaptation of the book further dramatizes some of the group’s already unbelievable antics, as well as getting into the music that made it all happen. Continue reading “Mötley Crüe – The Dirt Soundtrack (2019)”

Santana – Santana IV (2016)

Santana - Santana IV (2016)

Two years in the making, Santana IV marks the reunion of nearly all members of the 1971-1972 band, arguably its greatest lineup. Carlos Santana, conguero Michael Carabello, organist/lead vocalist Gregg Rolie, drummer Michael Shrieve, and guitarist Neal Schon cut the landmark Santana III in 1971. It was a short-lived group as Schon and Rolie would depart in early 1973 to form Journey. Continue reading “Santana – Santana IV (2016)”

The Spencer Davis Group – The Best Of The Spencer Davis Group (1987)

The Spencer Davis Group - The Best Of The Spencer Davis Group (1987)

Somehow the same label issued two albums with the same name in the same year. This one, with 15 tracks, is vastly preferable to its 10-song counterpart. Both releases hit the high points with the irresistible “Gimme Some Lovin’,” “I’m a Man,” and others. With half as many tunes, though, this album includes the minor hit “Strong Love” and “Goodbye Stevie,” written by the group to commemorate the departure of sensational singer and multi-instrumentalist prodigy Steve Winwood. “Waltz for Lumumba” presages the jazzier turns he would take with Traffic. Continue reading “The Spencer Davis Group – The Best Of The Spencer Davis Group (1987)”

Michael Schenker Group – The Best Of The Michael Schenker Group 1980-1984 (2008)

Michael Schenker Group - The Best Of The Michael Schenker Group 1980-1984 (2008)

Apart from his classic work with UFO, from a pure heavy metal and hard rock standpoint, most metalheads consider Michael Schenker’s 1980-1984 solo period to be his high-water mark. And after checking out the 2008 compilation Best of the Michael Schenker Group 1980-1984, you’ll understand why. After splitting from the aforementioned UFO, it appeared as though Schenker was on a mission to show the world that his exit from the band Continue reading “Michael Schenker Group – The Best Of The Michael Schenker Group 1980-1984 (2008)”

Brenda Lee – Little Miss Dynamite (1995) [4CDs Box Set]

Brenda Lee - Little Miss Dynamite (1995) [4CDs Box Set]

Five hours of pure gold on four CDs, covering the 127 songs that Brenda Lee recorded during the years 1956 through 1962, with the added allure of an 84-page hardcover book. What’s more, there’s hardly a second-rate song or performance here, and Lee’s singing style evolved so far that there are surprises throughout. Continue reading “Brenda Lee – Little Miss Dynamite (1995) [4CDs Box Set]”

Various Artists – Chess Rhythm & Roll (1994) [4CDs Box Set]

Various Artists - Chess Rhythm & Roll (1994) [4CDs Box Set]

In addition to being one of the world’s premier blues imprints, Chicago-based Chess Records presented some of rock & roll’s earliest participants. Chess Rhythm & Roll (1994) is a five-plus hour celebration of essential proto-rockers cut between 1947 and 1967. The four-CD assemblage is a companion to the Chess Blues (1992) box set and picks up during the label’s formative days when their repertoire was expanding to a greater audience beyond the realm of R&B. Continue reading “Various Artists – Chess Rhythm & Roll (1994) [4CDs Box Set]”

Suzi Quatro – No Control (2019)

Suzi Quatro - No Control (2019)

The American rock vocalist has successfully worked as a musician for more than fifty years, delivering with unbridled energy her greatest hits such as ‘Can The Can’, ‘48 Crash’, ‘Devil Gate Drive’, ‘If You Can`t Give Me Love’, ‘She`s In Love With You’ or ‘Stumblin In‘ which made her an icon in the 1970s, and wowing her fans again and again with her new material. So it comes as no surprise that she’s not thinking of retiring. “I’ll retire when I go onstage, shake my ass, and there is silence,” she says, fully aware of the fact that that moment is still a long way off. 29 March 2019 will see the arrival of Suzi’s latest studio album, simply entitled No Control in line with her need for artistic freedom, on SPV/Steamhammer. Almost simultaneously, the singer/musician is set to embark on an extensive World tour. No doubt about it: 2019 will be another Suzi year! Continue reading “Suzi Quatro – No Control (2019)”

INXS – Shine Like It Does: The Anthology 1979–1997 (2001)

INXS - Shine Like It Does: The Anthology 1979–1997 (2001)

From the vantage of 2001, the year Rhino released the double-disc retrospective Shine Like It Does: The Anthology (1979-1997), it’s a little hard to believe that the Australian sextet really rivaled U2 for popularity in 1987/1988, when Kick worked its way to multi-platinum global success. At the time, they belonged next to the likes of U2 and R.E.M., two post-punk legends that worked their way into the mainstream because they were a quintessential college rock band of the ’80s, thrillingly balancing style with substance. Continue reading “INXS – Shine Like It Does: The Anthology 1979–1997 (2001)”

Van Halen – Van Halen (1978) [1998, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]

Van Halen - Van Halen (1978) [1998, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]

Among revolutionary rock albums, Van Halen’s debut often gets short shrift. Although it altered perceptions of what the guitar could do, it is not spoken of in the same reverential tones as Are You Experienced? and although it set the template for how rock & roll sounded for the next decade or more, it isn’t seen as an epochal generational shift, like Led Zeppelin, The Ramones, The Rolling Stones, or Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols, which was released just the year before. Continue reading “Van Halen – Van Halen (1978) [1998, DCC, 24-Karat Gold Disc Remastered]”

Simply Red – Song Book 1985-2010 (2013) [4CDs, Box Set, Remastered]

Simply Red - Song Book 1985-2010 (2013) [4CDs, Box Set, Remastered]

Simply Red are a pop institution, at least in areas of the world that are not the United States, and like all institutions, they’re in need of a monument to their longevity. Song Book 1985-2010 is that monument, a four-disc box set that tells their story, concentrating on their hits but also adding a disc of new recordings where they revisit deep cuts from their catalog, refashioning them so they sound similar to latter-day Simply Red. Continue reading “Simply Red – Song Book 1985-2010 (2013) [4CDs, Box Set, Remastered]”

Tony Bennett – The Complete Improv Recordings (2004) [4CDs, Box Set]

Tony Bennett - The Complete Improv Recordings (2004) [4CDs, Box Set]

For those new to the music of Tony Bennett, Improv was a label started by Tony Bennett and businessman Bill Hassett. Bennett was fed up with the suits at Columbia Records, who were trying to make him sing rock & roll. When his contract expired at the beginning of the 1970s, he and Hassett formed a label to help him realize his aesthetic ambitions, and Improv was born. Continue reading “Tony Bennett – The Complete Improv Recordings (2004) [4CDs, Box Set]”

Paul McCartney & Wings – Wild Life (1971) [2018, Deluxe Edition, Remastered, 3CD + DVD]

Paul McCartney & Wings - Wild Life (1971) [2018, Deluxe Edition, Remastered, 3CD + DVD]

Includes the newly remastered album and 25 bonus audio tracks; original rough mixes of the album, single edits, B-sides, home recordings and unreleased tracks. DVD features previously unreleased archive footage, rehearsals and homes videos. Housed alongside 128-page book written by David Fricke and folio containing unseen memorabilia from the MPL archives. Continue reading “Paul McCartney & Wings – Wild Life (1971) [2018, Deluxe Edition, Remastered, 3CD + DVD]”

Various Artists – Sexy: Romantic Love Songs (2007) [3CD-Set]

Various Artists - Sexy: Romantic Love Songs (2007) [3CD-Set]

3CD-Set of exquisite music performed by Demis Roussos, Procol Harum, Kansas, Manhattans, Lou Rawls, Billy Paul, James Brown, Marving Gaye, Platters, Al Green, The Chi Lites, Percy Sledge, Bettie Harris and many more. Continue reading “Various Artists – Sexy: Romantic Love Songs (2007) [3CD-Set]”

Nina Simone – The Complete RCA Albums Collection (2011) [9CDs, Box Set]

Nina Simone - The Complete RCA Albums Collection (2011) [9CDs, Box Set]

Nina Simone was a singular artist, and she went where she pleased, leaving behind a recorded legacy that is passionate, political, defiant, and delicate by turns, no matter what strain of folk, blues, jazz, or gospel she was dipping into, and she did it all with dignity, grace, and intelligence. This set collects all nine of her albums for RCA Records (released between 1967 and 1974) Continue reading “Nina Simone – The Complete RCA Albums Collection (2011) [9CDs, Box Set]”

Tesla – Shock (2019) [Target Exclusive Edition]

Tesla - Shock (2019) [Target Exclusive Edition]