Musical - Chess (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Tim Rice (2LP) (1984) - €20,00

Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus of the pop group ABBA, lyrics by Ulvaeus and Tim Rice, and a book by Rice. The story involves a politically driven, Cold War–era chess tournament between two grandmasters, one American and the other Soviet Russian, and their fight over a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Although the protagonists were not intended to represent any real individuals, the character of the American grandmaster (named Freddie Trumper in the stage version) was loosely based on Bobby Fischer, while elements of the story may have been inspired by the chess careers of Russian grandmasters Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov.

Chess allegorically reflected the Cold War tensions present in the 1980s. The musical has been referred to as a metaphor for the whole Cold War, with the insinuation being made that the Cold War is itself a manipulative game. Released and staged at the height of the strong anti-communist agenda that came to be known as the "Reagan Doctrine", Chess addressed and satirized the hostility of the international political atmosphere of the 1980s.

The double LP, often referred to as a concept album or album musical, was released worldwide in the autumn of 1984. Liner notes included with the album featured a basic synopsis of the story in multiple languages along with song lyrics and numerous photos. The music on the album was described by The New York Times as "a sumptuously recorded... grandiose pastiche that touches half a dozen bases, from Gilbert and Sullivan to late Rodgers and Hammerstein, from Italian opera to trendy synthesizer-based pop, all of it lavishly arranged for the London Symphony Orchestra with splashy electronic embellishments". 

The album featured Murray Head, Tommy Körberg, Elaine Paige, and noted actor Denis Quilley in the role of Molokov. A single from the album, "One Night in Bangkok", with verses performed by Murray Head and choruses performed by Anders Glenmark, became a worldwide smash, reaching #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The duet "I Know Him So Well" by Elaine Paige and Barbara Dickson held the #1 spot on the UK singles charts for four weeks, winning the Ivor Novello Award in the process as the Best Selling Single ('A' Side).

Side A

A1. Merano - 6:59  

A2. The Russian And Molokov/Where I Want To Be - 6:19  

A3. Opening Ceremony - 9:18  

A4. Quartet (A Model Of Decorum And Tranquility) - 2:17  

Side B

B1. The American And Florence/Nobody's Side - 5:25  

B2. Chess - 5:44  

B3. Mountain Duet - 4:42  

B4. Florence Quits - 2:52  

B5. Embassy Lament (Vocals – Alan Byers, Leslie Fyson, Peter Bambo, Vernon Midgley) - 4:31  

B6 Anthem - 3:05

Side C

C1. Bangkok/One Night In Bangkok (Vocals [Chorus, One Night In Bangkok] – Anders Glenmark) - 5:00  

C2. Heaven Help My Heart - 3:29  

C3. Argument - 6:02  

C4. I Know Him So Well - 4:15 

C5. The Deal (No Deal) - 9:21  

C6. Pity The Child - 5:31

Side D

D1. Endgame - 10:46  

D2. Epilogue: You And I/The Story Of Chess - 10:24  

Notes

Release:  1984

Format:  2LP (Gatefold)

Genre:  Musical

Label:  RCA Records

Catalog#  PL70500(2)

Vinyl : VG

Cover:  VG

Prijs: €20,00

Eurythmics - 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) (1984) - €10,00

1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) is a soundtrack album by Eurythmics, their fourth studio album overall, containing music recorded by the duo for director Michael Radford's 1984 film Nineteen Eighty-Four, based on George Orwell's dystopian novel of the same name. Virgin Films produced the film for release in its namesake year, and commissioned Eurythmics to write a soundtrack.
While it is not billed as an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, this album does contain, as a jacket note indicates, "music derived from Eurythmics."
 The original score of the motion picture 1984, it was treated as a side project for marketing purposes, not as Eurythmics' full-fledged fourth new studio album. Fair enough. Much of the album is instrumental, and the closest thing to a pop song, "Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)" (which was a Top Ten hit in the U.K.), like the other vocal numbers, relates to the movie's future fiction theme.
As such, the album is substandard if judged as an independent Eurythmics album, adequate if judged as a soundtrack.
Lennox and Stewart worked as a duo for these recordings, with no contribution from other musicians. The music, while containing many electronic elements, was far from being synthpop; Stewart described some tracks as being like "Kraftwerk meets African tribal meets Booker T and the MGs."
Most of the tracks are instrumental, with song titles and lyrics of two songs on the album being derived from Orwell's text.
For instance, "I Did It Just The Same" is taken from a passage in the book where the protagonist, Winston Smith, relates how he committed "sexcrime" with a prostitute—initially deceived by her makeup, when he got close to her, he realised she was "about fifty—but I did it just the same". "Julia" was the name of Winston's lover. "Sexcrime" and "Doubleplusgood" are examples of Newspeak, the revised version of the English language spoken in Orwell's story. The track "Doubleplusgood" features a female announcer—the voice of the omnipresent Telescreen in the movie—reading out various memos which Winston had received at his job in the Ministry of Truth, where his role was to amend past and present newspaper articles so that they conformed to current Party dogma.
The "Ministry of Love" was the government police and torture department, and included "Room 101", a room which contained "the worst thing in the world"—i.e. where each torture victim would be confronted with their own worst nightmare.


Side A
A1.   I Did It Just the Same  (3:28)
A2.   Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four)  (3:58)
A3.   For the Love of Big Brother  (5:05)
A4.   Winston’s Diary (1:22)
A5.   Greetings from a Dead Man  (6:13)

Side B
B1.   Julia  (6:40)
B2.   Doubleplusgood  (4:40)
B3.   Ministry of Love  (3:47)
B4.   Room 101  (3:50)

Notes

Release:  1984

Format: LP

Genre:  Synth-pop 

Label:  Virgin Records

Catalog#  206680

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  VG

Prijs: €10,00

Barry White - Greatest Hits Volume Two (1977) - €4,99

Barry White´s Greatest Hits Volume Two is a English album released in 1977. The album has 10 songs.

7 songs are sung by Barry White and 3 songs by Love Unlimited (Orchestra).

This second set of Barry White hits isn't quite as impressive or essential as its predecessor. 

White's arrangements and compositions grew stale as the 1970s wore on, and he recycled the romantic dialogue and exploited the robust baritone until he became a caricature of himself.

Side A

A1. Love Unlimited Orchestra - Love's Theme   

A2. Barry White - You See The Trouble With Me   

A3. Barry White - I'll Do For You Anything You Want Me To   

A4. Love Unlimited - Under The Influence Of Love   

A5. Barry White - Don't Make Me Wait Too Long   

Side B

B1. Barry White - Let The Music Play   

B2. Barry White - Baby We Better Try & Get It Together   

B3. Love Unlimited - It May Be Winter Outside (But In My Heart Its Spring)   

B4. Barry White - Bring Back My Yesterday   

B5. Barry White - I'm Qualified To Satisfy You 

Notes

Release:  1977

Format:  LP

Genre:  Soul

Label:  20th Century Records

Catalog#  BTH 8001

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  G

Prijs: 4,99

Fleetwood Mac - Rumours (1977) - €14,99

 

Rumours is the eleventh studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, released on 4 February 1977 by Warner Bros. Records. Largely recorded in California in 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut. The band wanted to expand on the commercial success of their eponymous 1975 album, but struggled with relationship breakups before recording started. The Rumours studio sessions were marked by hedonism and strife among band members that shaped the album's lyrics.

Recorded with the intention of making "a pop album", the album's music featured a pop rock and soft rock sound characterized by accented rhythms and electric keyboards such as the Fender Rhodes or Hammond B3 organ. The members partied and used cocaine for much of the recording sessions, and its completion was delayed by its mixing process, but was finished by the end of 1976. Following the album's release, Fleetwood Mac undertook worldwide promotional tours. Rumours became the band's first number one album on the UK Albums Chart and also topped the US Billboard 200. The songs "Go Your Own Way", "Dreams", "Don't Stop", and "You Make Loving Fun" were released as singles, all of which reached the US top 10. 

Featuring a soft rock and pop rock sound, Rumours is built around a mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation. Buckingham's guitar work and Christine McVie's use of Fender Rhodes piano or Hammond B-3 organ are present on all but two tracks. The record often includes stressed drum sounds and distinctive percussion such as congas and maracas. 

Side one opens with "Second Hand News", originally an acoustic demo titled "Strummer". After hearing Bee Gees' "Jive Talkin'", Buckingham and co-producer Dashut built up the song with four audio tracks of electric guitar and the use of chair percussion to evoke Celtic rock. "Dreams" includes "ethereal spaces" and a recurring two note pattern on the bass guitar. Nicks wrote the song in an afternoon and led the vocals, while the band played around her. The third track on Rumours, "Never Going Back Again", began as "Brushes", a simple acoustic guitar tune played by Buckingham, with snare rolls by Fleetwood using brushes; the band added vocals and further instrumental audio tracks to make it more layered. Inspired by triple step dancing patterns, "Don't Stop" includes both conventional acoustic and tack piano. In the latter instrument, nails are placed on the points where the hammers hit the strings, producing a more percussive sound. "Go Your Own Way" is more guitar-oriented and has a four-to-the-floor dance beat influenced by The Rolling Stones' "Street Fighting Man". The album's pace slows down with "Songbird", conceived solely by Christine McVie using a nine-foot Steinway piano.

Side two of Rumours begins with "The Chain", one of the record's most complicated compositions. A Christine McVie demo, "Keep Me There", and a Nicks song were re-cut in the studio and were heavily edited to form parts of the track. The whole of the band crafted the rest using an approach akin to creating a film score; John McVie provided a prominent solo using a fretless bass guitar, which marked a speeding up in tempo and the start of the song's final third. Inspired by R&B, "You Make Loving Fun" has a simpler composition and features a clavinet, a special type of keyboard instrument, while the rhythm section plays interlocking notes and beats. The ninth track on Rumours, "I Don't Want to Know", makes use of a twelve string guitar and harmonising vocals. Influenced by the music of Buddy Holly, Buckingham and Nicks created it in 1974 before they were in Fleetwood Mac. "Oh Daddy" was crafted spontaneously and includes improvised bass guitar patterns from John McVie and keyboard blips from Christine McVie. The album ends with "Gold Dust Woman", a song inspired by free jazz, which has music from a harpsichord, a Fender Stratocaster guitar, and a dobro, an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more metal cones.

Side A

A1. Second Hand News - 4:43  

A2. Dreams - 4:14  

A3. Never Going Back Again - 2:02  

A4. Don't Stop - 3:11  

A5. Go Your Own Way - 3:38  

A6. Songbird - 3:20  

Side B

B1. The Chain - 4:28  

B2. You Make Loving Fun - 3:31  

B3. I Don't Want To Know - 3:11  

B4. Oh Daddy - 3:54  

B5. Gold Dust Woman - 4:51  

Notes

Release:  1977

Format:  LP

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Label:  Warner Bros. Records

Catalog# WB 56344

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  VG

Prijs: €14,99

ABC - Beauty Stab (1983) - Lp

ABC are an English pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. Their classic line-up consisted of lead singer Martin Fry, guitarist and keyboardist Mark White, saxophonist Stephen Singleton and drummer David Palmer. Developed from an earlier band, Vice Versa.

Beauty Stab is the second studio album by English pop band ABC. It was originally released in November 1983, on the labels Neutron, Mercury and Vertigo.
The album was recorded over a period of three months between August and September 1983, in sessions that took place at Sarm Studios East and West, Townhouse Studios and Abbey Road Studios. It was a departure from the stylised production of the band's debut album, The Lexicon of Love and featured a more guitar-oriented sound.

The difference between Beauty Stab's chart statistics in the U.K. and in the U.S. is extremely contrasting. The album's only single, "That Was Then and This Is Now," reached number 18 in the U.K., while it stalled at number 89 in the United States. The album itself climbed to number 12 on ABC's side of the ocean, while it stalled at number 69 on the American charts. The reason that Beauty Stab made such a substantial impact in the U.K. was due mainly to the album's makeshift concept about the band's take on modern England, with Martin Fry and Mark White trying to push their opinions through the buzz of guitars rather than the shiny pop sparkle of synthesizers and drum machines. Every aspect that made Lexicon of Love a masterpiece is absent on Beauty Stab. Gone is the brilliant songwriting which involved Fry's clever wordplay and acute wit, the pre-fabricated hooks that are so addictive, and, above all, the squeaky-clean sound from both a production standpoint and an instrumental one is nowhere to be found.

ABC tried to implement a slightly hardened sound into their music, but the result came out thin and undistinguished. The single was the only redeeming factor, showing the most pizzazz of any of the other cuts. "Bite the Hand," "Unzip," and "S.O.S." contain small amounts of pop delight, while "Love's a Dangerous Language" and "Power of Persuasion" tried to recapture Lexicon's spirit, but they both came up short. Album sales for Beauty Stab faltered, since fans were expecting a Lexicon of Love part two, but were utterly disappointed. The change for ABC seemed to be rushed, and the band should have echoed the same characteristics into Beauty Stab since the high demand for their brand of lustrous was still alive and well. Only Fry and White remained for 1985's How to Be A...Zillionaire!, with a handful of session musicians hired to play on the album.

The album was produced by ABC with Gary Langan, who was the audio engineer on the band's first album. The band employed the rhythm section of Andy Newmark (drums) and Alan Spenner (bass guitar) both of whom had recently recorded and toured with Roxy Music at the time. The cover photography was by Gered Mankowitz.


Side A
A1.  That Was Then But This Is Now  - 3:33
A2.  Love’s A Dangerous Language  - 3:39
A3.  If I Ever Thought You’d Be Lonely  - 3:55
A4.  The Power Of Persuasion  - 3:31
A5.  Beauty Stab  - 2:06
A6.  By Default By Design  - 4:07

Side B
B1.  Hey Citizen!  - 3:55
B2.  King Money  - 4:02
B3.  Bite The Hand  - 3:06
B4.  Unzip  - 2:49
B5.  S.O.S.  - 4:48
B6.  United Kingdom  - 3:19

Notes

Release:  1983

Format:  LP

Genre:   Synth-pop, Sophisti-pop

Label:   Mercury Records

Catalog#  814661-1

Vinyl:   VG

Cover:   VG

Prijs:  €10,00

The Trammps - Where The Happy People Go (1976) - €4,99

The Trammps are an American disco and soul band, who were based in Philadelphia and were one of the first disco bands. 

Where the Happy People Go is the third studio album by American soul-disco group, The Trammps, released in 1976 through Atlantic Records. 

If the Trammps were assembled to perform only disco songs, then Where the Happy People Go supports that notion -- in a good way. 

Every selection here rings with disco. Even though there are no ballads or moderate grooves, the Trammps still come across with some smooth vocals and invigorating rhythms. The first release from this dance album was the melodic "That's Where the Happy People Go." 

It broke into the Billboard R&B Top 20 at number 12, staying on the charts for 16 weeks. The second single was the busier "Soul Searchin' Time." A bit more rapid than its predecessor, and also more instrumentally involved, it came with a social message. 

With the exception of one non-vocal track, "Love Is a Funky Thing," everything here is up-tempo disco. 

Side A

A1. Soul Searchin' Time - 6:03  

A2. That's Where The Happy People Go - 7:50  

A3. Can We Come Together - 5:33  

Side B

B1. Disco Party - 8:11  

B2. Ninety-Nine And A Half - 5:07  

B3. Hooked For Life - 4:42  

B4. Love Is A Funky Thing - 3:16  

Notes

Release:  1976

Format:  LP

Genre:  Soul

Label:  Atlantic Records

Catalog#  SD 18172

Vinyl:  VG

Hoes:  G

Prijs: €4,99

Commodores - Commodores (1977) - €3,99

Commodores is the fifth studio album by the Commodores, released in 1977. The album spent eight weeks at the top of the R&B/soul albums chart, the second of their albums to do so, and was their first Top 5 pop album.

The band employed a variety of musical styles for the album, highlighted by the popular anthem "Brick House". With Walter Orange's deep voice on the lead, and Ronald LaPread's roundtone bassline, this track peaked on the U.S. Hot 100 at #5, and the U.S. R&B Chart at #4. As their second single, "Brick House" helped to propel the Commodores into the spotlight as a leading R&B act.

In contrast to "Brick House", "Easy" is a pop-soul ballad with mellow vocals by Lionel Richie with a Southern country twist.

"Zoom" is one of the Commodores' best known tunes, despite not being released as a single in the US. It reached #38 on the UK singles chart.

The Commodores' early years were spent on the Southern funk circuit, where their energetic, catchy tunes, and keyboard-oriented funk made them both a college and a radio staple. 

They scored seminal hits with "Brick House" and "Slippery When Wet," although it became apparent quite early that lead vocalist Lionel Richie also had a bright future as a solo balladeer, with such tunes as "Easy" signaling his future on adult contemporary and Quiet Storm/urban contemporary radio. This collection highlights early up-tempo and ballad hits. 

Side A

A1. Squeeze The Fruit - 2:58  

A2. Funny Feelings - 4:50  

A3. Heaven Knows - 4:48  

A4. Zoom - 6:43  

Side B

B1. Won't You Come Dance With Me - 3:49  

B2. Brick House - 3:28  

B3. Funky Situation - 3:44  

B4. Patch It Up - 3:59  

B5. Easy - 4:14  

Notes

Release:  1977

Format:  LP

Genre:  Funk / Soul

Label:  Motown Records

Catalog#  M7-884R1

Vinyl:  G

Cover:  G

Prijs:  €3,99

Vanity 6 - Vanity 6 (1982) - €10,00

Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio assembled by American musician Prince in mid–1981.

In 1981, Prince, himself a rising musical star, suggested that his three female friends—his girlfriend Susan Moonsie, Boston native Brenda Bennett, and Jamie Shoop—form a girl group that would be called "The Hookers". Prince's vision was that the three women would perform in lingerie and sing sensual songs with lyrics about sex and fantasy.

Vanity 6 is the 1982 self-titled debut and only studio album by American R&B/Pop vocal girl group Vanity 6 released on Warner Bros. Records. The group had been created by Prince as an outlet for his prolific song writing. All three women in the group (Vanity, Brenda Bennett, Susan Moonsie) shared lead and background vocals.
As was typical for Prince's side projects, he obscured his virtually complete responsibility for the production, songwriting, and instrumental performances by arbitrarily attributing the credits to other members of his musical stable or the fictional "The Starr Company". "If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)" was co-written with The Time member Terry Lewis and "Bite the Beat" was co-written with Jesse Johnson.

"He's So Dull" was written by Dez Dickerson and can be heard briefly in the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation. The "other woman" rap on the song "If a Girl Answers (Don't Hang Up)" is performed by Prince in an affected voice whose resemblance to that of The Time's lead singer Morris Day has sometimes led to Day being misidentified as the performer.

As it turned out, Vanity 6's first album was also its last. In 1984, Vanity went solo, and Brenda and Susan formed the very similar Apollonia 6 with singer Apollonia.


Side A
A1. Nasty Girl (5:10)
A2. Wet Dream (4:12)
A3. Drive Me Wild (2:31)
A4. He’s So Dull (2:32)

Side B
B1. If a Girl Answers (Don’t Hang Up) (5:34)
B2. Make-Up (2:40)
B3. Bite the Beat (3:12)
B4. 3 X 2 = 6 (5:24)

Notes

Release:  1982

Format:  LP

Genre:   Dance-pop, Funk

Label:   Warner Bros. Records

Catalog#  WB 57023

Vinyl:  VG
Cover:  VG

Prijs: €10,00

Chic - Take It Off (1981) - €10,00

Take It Off is the fifth studio album by American R&B band Chic, released on Atlantic Records in November 16, 1981. It includes the single "Stage Fright", which reached #35 on the US R&B chart, but was the first Chic single failing to enter the US Pop charts, and this album only proved to be moderately successful as well, stalling at #124 on the US albums chart and #36 on the R&B chart.

In 1981, a lot of rock & rollers were claiming that the disco era was officially over. Disco, of course, never really died -- a lot of the dance-pop, house music, Hi-NRG, and Latin freestyle that was recorded in the '80s and '90s was essentially disco -- but as far as many of the radio stations and record company A&R men of 1981 were concerned, disco was dead. And that was bad news for Chic, a group closely identified with the disco era. Even though a lot of Chic's work had as much to do with funk and soul as it did with the Euro-disco sound, Chic was unable to live down its reputation as a disco group.

But Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards gave it a try with 1981's Take It Off, an admirable, if uneven, project that finds the group downplaying the Euro-disco elements. With R&B and funk as the foundation, Chic tries to branch out by incorporating elements of pop-rock on "Your Love Is Canceled," and jazz on "Flash Back" and "So Fine" (which shouldn't be confused with the "So Fine" that Kashif produced for R&B singer Howard Johnson in 1982).
In fact, a few of Rogers' guitar solos give the impression that he'd been listening to a lot of Wes Montgomery. But as likable as the LP is, it didn't contain a major hit -- the single "Stage Fright" only made it to #34 on Billboard's R&B singles chart. And for a group that had enjoyed #1 pop and R&B smashes only two and three years earlier, that was certainly disappointing.


Side A       
A1. Stage Fright  - 3:55 
A2. Burn Hard  - 5:12 
A3. So Fine  - 4:10 
A4. Flash Back  - 4:28 
A5. Telling Lies  - 2:28 

Side B
B1. Your Love Is Cancelled  - 4:12 
B2. Would You Be My Baby  - 3:34 
B3. Take It Off  - 5:12 
B4. Just Out Of Reach  - 3:45 
B5. Baby Doll  - 3:10

Notes  

Release:  1981

Format: LP

Genre:  Soul / Funk

Label:  Atlantic Records

Catalog#  19323

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  VG

Prijs:  €10,00

Fleetwood Mac - Live (2LP) (1980) - €20,00

Live is a double live album released by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac in 1980. It was the first live album from the then-current line-up of the band, and the next would be The Dance from 1997. The album was certified gold (500,000 copies sold) by the RIAA in November 1981.

Live consists of recordings taken primarily from the 1979-1980 Tusk Tour, together with a few from the earlier Rumours Tour of 1977.
Two songs were recorded at a Paris soundcheck and three at a performance at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium "for an audience of friends and road crew."
Of particular note are three new songs - Christine McVie's "One More Night", Stevie Nicks' "Fireflies", and a well-harmonized backstage rendition of The Beach Boys' "The Farmer's Daughter".

The latter two were released as singles; "Fireflies" reached the top 60 in the US, while "The Farmer's Daughter" reached the top 10 in Austria. "Fireflies" was Nicks' rumination on the tumultuous recording of the "Tusk" album and her observance that the band stayed intact nevertheless.
Her lyrics referred to band members as the "five fireflies." "Don't Let Me Down Again" is a song from the Buckingham Nicks album.
Also notable are two Lindsey Buckingham guitar showcases.
The first, "I'm So Afraid", was popular as a concert finale during this period. The second was Buckingham's take on former Mac guitarist Peter Green's signature number, "Oh Well" (originally a 1969 single release).


Side A
A1.  Monday Morning - 3:55
A2.  Say You Love Me - 4:18
A3.  Dreams - 4:18
A4.  Oh Well - 3:44
A5.  Over & Over - 4:54

Side B
B1.  Sara - 7:23
B2.  Not That Funny - 9:04
B3.  Never Going Back Again - 4:13
B4.  Landslide - 4:55

Side C
C1.  Fireflies - 4:25
C2.  Over My Head - 3:37
C3.  Rhiannon - 7:43
C4.  Don’t Let Me Down Again - 3:57
C5.  One More Night - 3:43

Side D
D1.  Go Your Own Way - 5:44
D2.  Don’t Stop - 4:05
D3.  I’m So Afraid - 8:28
D4.  The Farmer’s Daughter - 2:25

Notes

Release:  1980

Format: 2LP (Gatefold)

Genre:  Pop, Rock

Label:  Warner Bros. Records

Catalog#  WB 66097

Vinyl:  VG
Cover:  VG

Prijs:  €20,00

Don Johnson - Heartbeat (1986) - €7,99

 

Heartbeat is an album released by American television actor Don Johnson in September 1986 on Epic Records. In the United States, the album reached #17 on the Billboard 200 album chart in October 1986.

As far as celebrity records go, Heartbeat isn't half bad. Don Johnson is at best a competent singer, but for his first foray into pop music, he had the good sense to surround himself with strong collaborators, enlisting songs from the likes of Tom Petty ("Lost in Your Eyes"), Bob Seger ("Star Tonight"), and Diane Warren ("Other People's Lives"). 

Outside of its sheer novelty value, Heartbeat is also notable for the presence of such high-profile guests as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ron Wood, and no less than Barbra Streisand.

In 1986 therefore, Don Johnson launches into recording an album but this is not a beginner in the matter because everything here is perfectly controled, from the choice of songs to the choice of musicians. It's not just a caprice star because he is a true music lover and he's got many friends among great musicians as we will see by reading the guests on this album. 

His friend, guitarist and composer Chas Sandford brings with him to the studio a few nuggets that Don Johnson willingly will serve. Excellent choice that Heartbeat (Kaz Erik, Wendy Waldmann), which will be a hit in the United States but also worldwide. Guitars, many guitars, good rhythm, great chorus, a rock solo made this song a hit. The voice of Don Johnson is certainly not exceptional but it goes well with the rock and will be pleasant throughout the ten tracks of the album. 

But aside from how to sing, Don Johnson also write. Love Roulette and especially the wonderful last track of the album, Can't Take Your Memory and its piano intro prove it. Star Tonight is another highlight of the record. This song written by Bob Seger is co-singing with the legendary Willie Nelson. He played with Don in an episode of Miami Vice, entitled "El Viejo". Chas Sandford brought rock song Gotta Get Away. 

A galaxy of rock gods and excellent musicians surround Don Johnson on Heartbeat. On guitars can be heard Dickey Betts, the Allman Brothers Band is the favorite Don Johnson's band, and also Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ron Wood, the Rolling Stone and Dweezil Zappa, son of Frank Zappa (who also starred in an episode of Miami Vice). On the drums can be heard among others Omar Hakim and Curly Smith (former Boston). The huge Lenny Pickett is on the saxophone. 

Not in deference to his detractors, Don Johnson did a good rock album that still can be listened to pleasantly. The sound is modern. The actor has prepared very well this record and he succeeded. His partner in the series Miami Vice Philip Michael Thomas was also tried in music but with less success and it's a shame because he sings better than Don Johnson. 

Side A

A1. Heartbeat - 4:20  

A2. Voice On A Hotline - 4:05  

A3. The Last Sound Love Makes - 4:27  

A4. Lost In Your Eyes (Backing Vocals – Bonnie Raitt) - 4:33  

A5. Coco Don't - 3:33  

Side B

B1. Heartache Away (Backing Vocals – Bonnie Raitt) - 4:49  

B2. Love Roulette - 4:20  

B3. Star Tonight (Backing Vocals – Willie Nelson) - 2:54  

B4. Gotta Get Away - 4:27  

B5. Can't Take Your Memory - 4:30  

Notes

Release:  1986

Format:  LP

Genre:  Rock

Label:  Epic Records

Catalog#  EPC 450103 1

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  VG (Gatefold)

Prijs: €7,99

Pink Floyd - The Wall (2LP) (1979) - €20,00

The Wall is the eleventh album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It was released as a double album on 30 November 1979, by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and by Columbia Records in the United States. It received an initially mixed critical response, though was commercially successful, reaching number 3 on the UK Albums Chart, and topping the US Billboard 200 chart for 15 weeks. The album is considered one of the most recognisable concept albums. It is the band's second best selling album (after The Dark Side of the Moon) and one of the best selling albums of all time. In 1982, it was adapted into a feature film of the same name.
Bass guitarist and lyricist Roger Waters conceived the album as a rock opera during Pink Floyd's 1977 In the Flesh Tour, when his frustration with the audience became so acute that he spat on them. Its story, which follows themes of abandonment and personal isolation, explores Pink, a character whom Waters modeled after himself and the band's original leader Syd Barrett. Pink's life begins with the loss of his father during the Second World War, and continues with abuse from his schoolteachers, an overprotective mother, and the breakdown of his marriage; all contribute to his eventual self-imposed isolation from society, represented by a metaphorical wall. The band, who were then struggling with personal and financial difficulties, supported the idea. Waters enlisted an outside collaborator, Canadian producer Bob Ezrin, due to his need for somebody who he felt was "musically and intellectually" similar to himself, as well as a helping hand for the cumbersome amount of material that was written. Recording lasted from December 1978 to November 1979, with stops in France, England, New York, and Los Angeles. Waters' song "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2" became the band's first and only chart-topper when released as the album's lead single. Two songs co-written by guitarist David Gilmour, "Run Like Hell" and "Comfortably Numb", were also issued as singles.
The Wall remains the last studio album released with the 11-year-spanning line-up of Waters, Gilmour, keyboardist Rick Wright, and drummer Nick Mason. Wright was unceremoniously fired from the band by Waters during its production, but stayed as a salaried musician, performing with Pink Floyd on their subsequent live tour.

Side A
A1. In the Flesh?  (3:19)
A2. The Thin Ice  (2:27)
A3. Another Brick in the Wall Part 1  (3:21)
A4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives  (1:46)
A5. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2  (4:00)
A6. Mother (5:36)

Side B
B1. Goodbye Blue Sky  (2:45)
B2. Empty Spaces  (2:10)
B3. Young Lust  (3:25)
B4. One of My Turns  (3:35)
B5. Don’t Leave Me Now  (4:16)
B6. Another Brick in the Wall Part 3 (1:14)
B7. Goodbye Cruel World  (1:13)

Side C
C1. Hey You  (4:40)
C2. Is There Anybody Out There?  (2:44)
C3. Nobody Home  (3:26)
C4. Vera  (1:35)
C5. Bring the Boys Back Home  (1:21)
C6. Comfortably Numb  (6:24)

Side D
D1. The Show Must Go On  (1:36)
D2. In the Flesh  (4:13)
D3. Run Like Hell  (4:19)
D4. Waiting for the Worms  (4:04)
D5. Stop  (0:30)
D6. The Trial  (5:13)
D7. Outside the Wall (1:41)

Notes

Release: 1979

Format: 2LP (Gatefold)

Genre:  Psychedelische rock

Label:  Harvest Records

Catalog#  1A 15863410

Vinyl:  VG

Cover:  VG

Prijs: €20,00

Mike Oldfield - Incantations (2LP) (1978) - €20,00

Incantations is the fourth record album by Mike Oldfield, released in late 1978 on Virgin Records.

Originally released as a double album, it is Oldfield's second longest album after Light + Shade. Despite the length, much of the album can be described as being compositionally minimalist, including melodic lines played by only a few instruments at a time.
The album as a whole is unusual in that it makes extensive use of the circle of fifths as an accompaniment to many of the musical ideas. Since this musical structure requires that each idea be modulated through twelve keys, before the next is introduced, more time is required to develop each idea, so that each section unfolds more slowly than is usual in Oldfield's work. A byproduct of this musical structure is that most of the album is not in any one key, but cycles continuously through them all.

Incantations was recorded at Througham, Mike Oldfield's home after he completed Ommadawn. It was during the creation of Incantations that Mike Oldfield underwent the assertiveness training course Exegesis, and almost immediately thereafter Oldfield went on his first solo live tour around Europe with Incantations.
Along with some other pieces of Oldfield's work, a different version of "Part Four" was used for the soundtrack of Tony Palmer's The Space Movie; the lyrics there are from Kathleen Raine's "A Spell for Creation".

The lyrics in "Part One" simply repeat the names of the goddesses Diana, Luna, and Lucina.

The lyrics in "Part Two" are taken from the beginnings of chapter XXII and XII (in that order) of Longfellow's "The Song of Hiawatha".

The lyrics in "Part Four" are Ben Jonson's "Ode to Cynthia" from Cynthia's Revels, but adjusted again to match the music.

The cover was once again done by Trevor Key. The beach in the cover photograph is Cala Pregonda, in Menorca.

Side A
A1.  Part 1 (19:08)

Side B
B1.  Part 2 (19:36)

Side C
C1.  Part 3 (16:58)

Side D
D1.  Part 4 (17:01)

Notes

Release: 1978

Format:  2LP
Genre:  Instrumental, Prog Rock
Label:  Virgin Records
Catalog#  300191
Prijs:   €20,00

Vinyl:  VG
Cover:  VG 

Prijs: €20,00