Live At The Harlem Square Club (1963) - Sam Cooke


Album title: Live At The Harlem Square Club
Year of recording: 1963
Artist: Sam Cooke
Label: RCA
Producer: Phil Spector
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 27, 2010
"Quiet powerful voice."

3 out of 5

Surprisingly good for a romantic album. Sam's voice is great and the songs can be quiet fun and entertaining. I think it is a "most hear" but I recognise it isn't for all tastes.

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A Christmas Gift For You (1963) - Phil Spector


Album title: A Christmas Gift For You
Year of recording: 1963
Artist: Phil Spector
Label: Philles
Producer: Phil Spector
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 27, 2010
"Christmas songs..."

1 out of 5

I don't like Christmas songs and this is it, the most Christmasy album I've heard in my life. Hated it.

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The Freewhellin' Bob Dylan (1963) - Bob Dylan


Album title: The Freewhellin' Bob Dylan
Year of recording: 1963
Artist: Bob Dylan
Label: Columbia
Producer: John Hammond
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 27, 2010
"Deep and particular."

4 out of 5

Bob Dylan is incredible, I don't think anyone could have the same success singing with such a quiet voice and such a dull, but deep, guitar chords. I love it and hope to see more of his work in the "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" book.

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With the Beatles (1963) - The Beatles


Album title: With the Beatles
Year of recording: 1963
Artist: The Beatles
Label: Parlophone
Producer: George Martin
Art Director: Robert Freeman
Country: UK

Thales Jacobi
Sep 14, 2010
"The Beatles! You know how it is..."

3 out of 5

Come on guys lets be honest, The Beatles is ok but not great. Maybe there are some important context factors to consider (like Britain not having had any global artists up until this point for example) but after listening to Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Ray Charles and even Little Richard, The Beatles is just ok for me! Cool rock but a bit too pop for my taste and there is very little truly interesting melodies going on, the rest has been listened to and copied from other musicians. It is a cool album to have at home for collectors, other than that they have been hyper-hipped. This album scored 3 out of 5 (would be 2 if they weren't who they are/were).

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Night Life (1962) - Ray Price


Album title: Night Life
Year of recording: 1962
Artist: Ray Price
Label: Koch
Producer: Frank Jones and Don Law
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 14, 2010
"Too Country me. You might like it though."

2 out of 5

Probably a rare album because I could only find 4 song of the 12 recorded. Clean and clear Unitedstadien country folk.

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Jazz Samba (1962) - Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd


Album title: Jazz Samba
Year of recording: 1962
Artist: Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd
Label: Verve
Producer: Creed Taylor
Art Director: Olga Albizu
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 13, 2010
"Bossa Nova at its best. Must listen!"

5 out of 5

I've been waiting for this moment since the beginning of my journey of make this blog: Bossa Nova played by Unitedstadiens (citizens of the USA). This is a great example of Brazilian swing and the expression of Stan and Charlie is exhilarating. Awesome! 5 out of 5.

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Green Onions (1962) - Booker T. And Charlie M.G.s


Album title: Green Onions
Year of recording: 1962
Artist: Booker T. And Charlie M.G.s
Label: Stax
Producer: Jim Stewart
Art Director: Haig Adishian
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 13, 2010
"In one word: cheeky! Brilliant."

4 out of 5

Really good album. The keyboards are so intense and flexible that freaked me out some times because it was sounding like the human voice. Very interesting and there are loads of elements to analyse and digest. 4 out of 5.

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Sunday At The Village Vanguard (1961) - Bill Evans


Album title: Sunday At The Village Vanguard
Year of recording: 1961
Artist: Bill Evans
Label: Riverside
Producer: Orrin Keepnews
Art Director: Ken Deardoff
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"Pure Jazz."

3 out of 5

"Jade Visions" was incredible; this song is cool and fun. Loved it to pieces! The whole album is pure Jazz and soul. It seems Bill Evans influenced a whole generation of pianist Jazz players with this amazing master piece. Really good indeed.

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Muddy Waters At Newport (1960) - Muddy Waters


Album title: Muddy Waters At Newport
Year of recording: 1960
Artist: Muddy Waters
Label: Chess
Producer:
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"Live Blues Master Piece."

4 out of 5

For Blues loves this is what you should be looking for, this album represents the moment the biggest names in Blues would have space in the pop charts. This is the sweet spot for live performances to be appreciated by wider audiences of all ages and social situations. It is quite powerful and intelligent.

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Back At The Chicken Shack (1960) - Jimmy Smith


Album title: Back At TheChicken Shack
Year of recording: 1960
Artist: Jimmy Smith
Label: Blue Note
Producer: Alfred Lion
Art Director: Reid Miles
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"The Jazz most like Blues I've seing so far."

4 out of 5

Fabulous Jazz. With complex and relax melodies I found this album exhilarating in its sophisticated "ups and downs". They were calling this album "soul jazz" and I think that is very accurate. A "must listen to" on anyone's list.

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A Date With The Everly Brothers (1960) - Everly Brothers


Album title: A Date With The Everly Brothers
Year of recording: 1960
Artist: Everly Brothers
Label: Warner Bros.
Producer: Don Everly
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"Early rock lullabies... soft and pop."

2 out of 5

Lucille is by far my favourite in this album. The others are too pop for me. They seem to have made history because they reached the top charts when competing against Elvis' come back album. Well done for them but don't see why this happened; just too 'ye-ye-ye' for me. Scored 2 out of 5.

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Miriam Makeba (1960) - Miriam Makeba


Album title: Miriam Makeba
Year of recording: 1960
Artist: Miriam Makeba
Label: RCA Victor
Producer: Harry Belafonte
Art Director:
Country: South Africa

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"Diverse African rhythms with great singing emotional appeal."

3 out of 5

Exiled in the US when escaping from the apartheid, Makeba stepped into the best Jazz scene a musician could ever want: New York. She bravely opened space for Calypso, Indonesian and Afro-pop. Great African song writer and musician, not my favourite style but again, this isn't the blog for personal selection, it is about diversity and for that reason, Makeba is an excellent choice for getting in touch with that rich and romantic African rhythm.

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Elvis is Back! (1960) - Elvis Presley


Album title: Elvis is Back!
Year of recording: 1960
Artist: Elvis Presley
Label: RCA
Producer: Chet Atkins & Steve Sholes
Art Director:
Country: USA

Thales Jacobi
Sep 12, 2010
"Versatile and professional, his welcome back."

3 out of 5

You can see Elvis spent a long time preparing these songs. There are blues and rock'n'roll as well as romantic and R&B songs. It doesn't have that roughness I love in the early 50s songs and he is very tamed although the lyrics are highly sensual. I kind of liked it but it scored 3 out of 5 this time.

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