Sunday, August 28, 2011

ALAN PARKER - HOT ICE


















http://rapidshare.com/files/91149241/Alan-Parker-Hot-Ice.zip

Track 1 - Rumpus
Track 2 - Silver Air
Track 3 - Tussle
Track 4 - Sweet Tooth
Track 5 - Hot Ice
Track 6 - Legend
Track 7 - Hi-Jinks
Track 8 - Crater
Track 9 - Aprilia
Track 10 - Wolf
Track 11 - Best Friend
Track 12 - Full Tilt
Track 13 - Hearth And Home
Track 14 -  Round Robin

This release on the De Wolfe label goes a long way to explaining why Alan Parker is held in such high regard as a library music composer. Far more than mere background sound, these tracks are fully fledged compositions in their own right and maintain a high level of listenability even after all these years. The main genres featured on this record are funk, easy listening and jazz with some of the songs exhibiting qualities of all three. Some of the key tracks include "Rumpus", "Hot Ice", "Tussle" and "Wolf". These in particular display some excellent wah wah guitar, slick drum breaks and nice flute accents. There is a distinct Britishness present on the likes of "Aprilia" and "Hearth And Home" which would have been right at home on any decent soundtrack from around that period. It is certainly a must have for all the library fans out there ( I know who you are! ).

Please note - I think I replaced this link at some point and the new one is password protected. The pass should be - chromium05

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

BRUTON BRH 16 - CITY LIMITS





Track 1 - Electraglide
Track 2 - Malibu
Track 3 - City Limits
Track 4 - Eastside
Track 5 - Brooklyn Bridge
Track 6 - Body Talk
Track 7 - Foot Loose
Track 8 - Morning Train
Track 9 -  Big Time
Track 10 - Powerpack
Track 11 - American Dream
Track 12 - Superstars
Track 13 - Times Square
Track 14 - Stuntman
Track 15 - Girls, Girls, Girls
Track 16 - Thrills
Track 17 - Airport 

While the Bruton BRK series is funky and fast paced, the BRH's lean more towards jazz funk, disco, easy listening and pop. This album by Mike Moran and Ray Russell evokes images of New York nightclubs in the early 80's with a bunch of mostly dance friendly tunes that occasionally drift into porn groove territory. It may be rather cheesy and dated but there is plenty to enjoy over the course of 17 compact tracks. Thanks to the original uploader.

Monday, August 22, 2011

BRUTON BRK 02 - HIGH ADVENTURE




Track 1 - Special Delivery / Keith Mansfield
Track 2 - Speedbird 1 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 3 - Speedbird 2 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 4 - Speedbird 3 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 5 - Full Blast 1 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 6 - Full Blast 2 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 7 - High Adventure 1 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 8 - High Adventure 2 / Jeremy Lubbock
Track 9 - Flying Colours 1 / David Lindup
Track 10 - Flying Colours 2 / David Lindup
Track 11 - Pacerace / John Fiddy
Track 12 - Supercity / John Fiddy
Track 13 - Speed / Francis Monkman
Track 14 - G-Force / Francis Monkman
Track 15 - Fuel Injection / Alan Hawkshaw
Track 16 - The Speed Of Sound / Alan Hawkshaw
Track 17 - Synchronous / Steve Gray
Track 18 - Silverstone / Miki Anthony & Tom Parker
Track 19 - Bass Drive / MacDonald, Rae, De Souza
Track 20 - Deadline Destination / I.Martin & B.Dee

I've said before at Funky Frolic how much I adore the BRK series from Bruton and this is another gem in the crown. The tracks are composed by some of the greats of the period and given that BRK's lean toward action and activity themed music there is much scope for over the top grooves. A certain spy / go go / playboy vibe runs through the whole record and occasionally there are hints that give away this was released in the late 70's. Highlights include opening number "Special Delivery" by Keith Mansfield, "Fuel Injection" by Alan Hawkshaw and the bizarre tempo changes comprised within "Speedbird 1" by Jeremy Lubbock but I'm sure you will find your own favourites. It's all very dramatic, uptempo and oh so funky! Special thanks to Killa at Key-Lo Music for passing this record on to me.

Friday, August 19, 2011

MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS - THE CREAM OF THE CHAPPELL LIBRARY SESSIONS




Track 1 - Whispers / Cath Baxter
Track 2 - Indianapolis 2 / Irving Martin & Brian Dee
Track 3 - Deadline Destination / Irving Martin & Brian Dee
Track 4 - Five Plus Four / Al Newman
Track 5 - Psychedelic Portrait / Jean-Claude Petit
Track 6 - Rhythm Maker / Johnny Hawksworth
Track 7 - Afro-Beat, Afro-Syn / Nino Nardini
Track 8 - The Race Machine / The Mark Duval Big Band
Track 9 - Green Water / Jack Dievel et Le Paris Jazz Quartet
Track 10 - Casing / Les Prospection
Track 11 - Erotica 1 / Malasek & Basant
Track 12 - Following You / Pierre Dutour
Track 13 - Ibhadi (Small Deer) / Glenn Keiles
Track 14 - Poivre, Piments Et Pin-Up / Paul Pinot & Paul Guiot
Track 15 - Crazy Fiddles / Eddie Warner
Track 16 - Discovery / Brian Bennett
Track 17 - Safari Park / Roger Roger
Track 18 - Rainbow Bridge / Paul Dupont & His Orchestra
Track 19 - Misty Canyon / Sven Libek
Track 20 - Blockbuster / Keith Mansfield
Track 21 - Exotica / Ole Jensen & His Music

The best of the three volumes in my opinion, "Music For Dancefloors - The Cream Of The Chappell Music Library Sessions" starts off with the strange and mysterious "Whispers" before launching into "Indianapolis 2" which is a high octane number heavy on the funk. Meanwhile "Five Plus Four" and "The Race Machine" are both more in the realm of jazz funk and Nino Nardini's "Afro-Beat, Afro-Syn" is a percussion heavy oddity which isn't really to my liking.

Heading into the second half of the album there are some real gems such as "Green Water", "Following You" and "Ibhadi (Small Deer)". It just gets better though...Brian Bennett's classic "Discovery" would be the perfect soundtrack to underwater exploration, "Crazy Fiddles" by the always crazy Eddie Warner is sensational, "Safari Park" by legendary library composer Roger Roger has a nice restrained progression and I have previously stated my love for "Misty Canyon" by Sven Libek. If you can't find a bunch of tracks that appeal to you on this record then you simply aren't trying hard enough. It's a Funky Frolic essential listen!

P.S - Keep listening after "Exotica" for a secret hidden track...

Monday, August 15, 2011

MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS - THE CREAM OF THE BOSWORTH LIBRARY SESSIONS




Track 1 - Yellow Fever / Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra
Track 2 - Papillon Rouge / Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra
Track 3 - Two Wat Stretch / Toni Campo
Track 4 - Tropical Scene / Johnny Teupen
Track 5 - Big John / Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra
Track 6 - Sparkling Music (Speedometer Mix) / Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra
Track 7 - Mr. Buzz / Piet VanMeren & The Flying Dutchmen
Track 8 - High Spirits / Alberto Mayer
Track 9 - Percussion Monoton / Bob Downes
Track 10 - Crab Apple Jam / David Snell
Track 11 - Cat And Mouse / Summer Style
Track 12 - Chez Vous / Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra
Track 13 - Fillet Of Soul / Geoff Bastow
Track 14 - No Exit / Daniele Prencipe & John G. Tyssen
Track 15 - Knitting / Wolfram Brunke & Gary Pacific Group
Track 16 - Modern Times / Midas Touch
Track 17 - Hula Rock / Lewis Howard
Track 18 - Indian Dream / Brian Green & Saul Nathan

Compared to the big players like KPM, Bruton and De Wolfe you can hardly find any albums from the Bosworth library on the internet ( one notable exception being the fantastic "Super Sounds Of Bosworth" comp ). This is a shame because the music contained within this collection is top shelf. Most of the tracks find a perfect meeting point between funk, jazz and rare groove with some excellent breakbeats adding further spice to the mix. There is some crossover with other library compilations but who really cares when the quality is so consistently high? The tracks by Paolo Zavallone And His Orchestra are superb, familiar names like Teupen, Bastow and Snell all shine and "Hula Rock" with its subterranean bassline is always an enjoyable listen. The key to the Music For Dancefloors series is that the compilers took a disparate range of music and put it together in a way that sounds organic and compelling. It's truly a must have.

On a side note I would like to give a huge thanks to those of you who have left me kind messages, especially in the last few days. It's great to know there are so many people enjoying the blog and your words continue to inspire me to move forward.

To Americo who asked if I will be posting any more Bruton records - I will be putting some more up in the coming days, weeks and months so you'll have to stay tuned. Funky Frolic out!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS - THE CREAM OF THE KPM GREEN LABEL SESSIONS






















Track 1 - That's What Friends Are For / Alan Parker & Madeline Bell
Track 2 - Unlimited Love / Alan Parker
Track 3 - Funky Express / Duncan Lamont
Track 4 - Assault Course / Johnny Pearson
Track 5 - Samba Street / Barry Morgan & Ray Cooper
Track 6 - Second Cut / James Clarke
Track 7 - Swamp Fever / John Cameron
Track 8 - Reggae Train / Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell & William Farley
Track 9 - Incidental Backcloth 3 / Keith Mansfield
Track 10 - Cross Talk / Francis Coppieters
Track 11 - In Advance / Pierre Lavin Pop Band
Track 12 - Senior Thump / Alan Hawkshaw
Track 13 - Expo In Tokyo / Alan Moorhouse
Track 14 - Interlude : Witchdoctor / Nascimbene
Track 15 - Jungle Baby / Juan Erlando & His Latin Band
Track 16 - Morning 1, Morning 2 / Klaus Weiss
Track 17 - Freeway To Rio / Les Baxter
Track 18 - Brazil Express / Juan Erlando & His Latin Band
Track 19 - Piano In Transit / Francis Coppieters
Track 20 - Crash Course / Keith Mansfield

This compilation dives into the deep ocean of grooves left behind from the KPM heyday in the 1970's and presents a comprehensive batch of dance friendly tracks. The mood is very much jazz and latin orientated with some fine examples coming from the great Francis Coppieters, Les Baxter and Juan Erlando. Throw in classic library tracks such as "Senior Thump", "Crash Course", "Swamp Fever" and the always welcome "Second Cut" and you have a collection that does the KPM legacy justice. This album is an excellent companion piece to "Setting The Scene: From The Vaults Of KPM" which you can download here. I will post further volumes from the Music For Dancefloors series in the next few days.

DUSTY FINGERS VOL.1 - VARIOUS ARTISTS





Track 1 - Abstractions / Projection
Track 2 - Lady Love / Ferrante & Teicher
Track 3 - The Windmills Of Your Mind / Dorothy Ashby
Track 4 - Forty Days / Bill Brooks
Track 5 - Get The Bearings / Donovan
Track 6 - Hogin's Machine / Les Baxter
Track 7 - Kismet / Amon Duul II
Track 8 - The Warnings / David Axelrod
Track 9 - On The Hill / Oliver Sain
Track 10 - Bamboo Child / Ryo Kawasaki
Track 11 - Holding You, Loving You / Don Blackman
Track 12 - Hey Jude / The Overton Berry Trio
Track 13 - Survival / Annette Peacock
Track 14 - Humpty Dumpty / Placebo
Track 15 - The Journey / Small Faces
Track 16 - Dee Dee Drums / Dee Dee Warwick

Here we are (finally) at number one of my Dusty Fingers countdown. Volume 1 contains a typically eclectic mix of funk, soul, jazz, rare groove and juicy drum breaks. No particular track rises above the rest, it's all very solid with interesting inclusions by David Axelrod, Les Baxter and Ryo Kawasaki. Once again there is a variety of different track listings on the internet so I've just left it as they appear on the rip I have. It's been a fun journey and I might post some of the more recent volumes later this year. Let the good grooves roll!

Thursday, August 4, 2011

DUSTY FINGERS VOL.2 - VARIOUS ARTISTS





Track 1 - Laying The Trap / Charles Bernstein
Track 2 - Go On And Cry / Les McCann
Track 3 - Snow Creatures / Quincy Jones
Track 4 - Children Of The Night / Hysear Don Walker
Track 5 - Bettina / Bola Sete
Track 6 - Electric Surfboard / Jack McDuff
Track 7 - Smokey Joe The Dreamer / Bullet
Track 8 - Soul Sider / Art Farmer 
Track 9 - Ripped Open By Metal Explosions /  Galt MacDermot
Track 10 - Holy Thursday / David Axelrod
Track 11 - Shore Line Drive / Sammy Nestico Big Band
Track 12 - You're Not Good / Harvey Averne
Track 13 - Puzzle / Passport
Track 14 - Faded Lady / S.S.O

Who knows what the real track listing is for this one. I went to five different websites and found five different track listings so I'll just stick with the way it is on the rip I have. Volume 2 is heavy on the soul and cinematic moods with Qunicy Jones and David Axelrod both featuring in all their glory. It's hard to pick out particular highlights from what is probably the strongest volume of the series in thematical terms. It is a very smooth listen, one that would suit an evening at home with some fine wine and a beautiful woman. Dim the lights and let the grooves wash over you!