Jil Jilala - mystery cassette

Jil Jilala were (alongside Nass el Ghiwane and Lemchaheb) one of the trinity of groups that emerged in the late '60s and early '70s with the intention of rejuvenating Moroccan folk musics. Formed in 1972 by members of a Sufi theatre group, the band based many of their songs on the religious and spiritual poetry of the Sufi brotherhoods.
In this video you can see the famous Gnawi, Mustafa Bakbou playing guimbri with the group:

Tracklist:

Side 1: Leklam Lemrassa3 (Adorned Talk) - Lighara (The Raid)- Lejwad (The Good People)
Side 2: Al Quds (Jerusalem) - Liyam Tnadi (The Days Are Calling)- Dada Oumie (My Elderly Mother)

Thanks as always to Tim for the translations and to Hammer for the translation to Enlglish. Much appreciated fellas!

Hear the cassette HERE.

E.K's Band - Sankofa (Go Back and Retrieve)

Here is a groovy slice of Ghanaian Highlife from one of the originators of the form. E.K. Nyame started performing in the late '40s, formed his own band in the '50s and brought respectability to the music of the palm-wine bars. Here you'll find spidery, picked guitars, mandolin, thumping double bass, super afro-latin percussion, theatrical harmonising and gorgeous clarinet. This album appears to be re-recordings of some of E.K. Nyame's earlier hits, but I have no clue as to when the tracks were originally recorded, or re-recorded for that matter.

Tracklist:

01 Small Boy Nye Me Bia
02 Onipa a Oyee Me Mahu Wo
03 Maye Maye Minni Aye
04 To Menna Mu Awurade
05 Minni Agya Minni Nna
06 Amane A Mahu
07 Awurade Iesu Beba
08 Boafo Yena
09 Onipa A Ode Nade
10 Nokware Asa
11 Agya Nyame Ni Wakyi
12 Owuo Busuoni

Get it HERE.

I have started using a new file storage site so please let me know how well it works and how easy it is to access the files.
Thanks in advance.

Junior Delgado - More Treasure Found (1997)

This is a fabulous compilation of roots reggae tracks from Oscar Hibbert aka Junior Delgado. Most of the songs were produced by the man himself however there's also some fantastic productionsfrom roots superstars Lee Perry, Niney the Observer and Dennis Brown. This fella had a phenomenal voice, rich and gravelly like he spent many an hour on the chalice.

"Delgado is best known for the dancehall hit Trickster, which introduced him to the mainstream in the mid 1970s. Later that decade, he had Top 20 hits in Merry Go Round and Fort Augusta which were produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

He also wrote songs for his good friend, Dennis Brown, Jacob Miller and Althea and Donna.

Saxophonist Dean Fraser, who played on Merry Go Round, remembered Delgado as a "hardcore protest singer". Added Fraser: "He never had many big hits in Jamaica but he always had a good following in England."

Delgado was born Oscar Delgado Hibbert at Luke Lane in downtown Kingston. In a 1994 interview with The Gleaner, he said his first recording was the song Reaction which came in 1970 for producer Joe Gibbs.

He continued to record for Gibbs as a solo act and with the harmony group, Time Unlimited, releasing several grassroots hits like African Sound and 23rd Psalms.

But, his first major hit came alongside the teenaged Brown with whom he struck up a solid partnership in the mid 1970s, recording a cover of The Heptones' Party Time, which was done for Brown's DEB label.

Trickster was Delgado's biggest hit song as a solo artiste for DEB, which was followed by Tition, a critique of corrupt politicians.

In the late 1970s, Delgado hooked up with Dunbar and Shakespeare, then the hottest production team in reggae with their revamped Taxi label. Merry Go Round and Fort Augusta remain two of Delgado's biggest hits.

Delgado lived in England for much of the last 20 years, touring Europe and working as a producer. Among the acts he produced for his Incredible Music label were singers Michael Rose, Frankie Paul and Yami Bolo."

­ Howard Campbell

The zip file is hosted on a different file hosting site so please let me know if there are any problems with downloading and stuff.

Tracklist:

01 Warrior No Tarry Ya
02 Thinking
03 Storm Is Coming
04 Chant Chant Chant
05 Run Run
06 Every Natty
07 All I Have Is Love
08 Tichion
09 Mr. Preacher Man
10 House Upon A Rock
11 Freedom Train
12 Life Ain't So Easy
13 Huff An Puff
14 Hypocrites
15 23rd Psalms

Get it HERE.

Snapper - Shotgun Blossom (1990)

Noisy, motorik indie-pop from New Zealand. Snapper were formed in the late '80s by Peter Gutteridge, previously a member of New Zealand favourites The Chills and The Clean, but Snapper wore their punk attitude and love of Neu! and Suicide on their sleeves and came out with their teeth bared.

Tracklist:

01 Pop Your Top
02 Can
03 Telepod Fly
04 Eyes That Shine
05 Dark Sensation
06 Dead Pictures
07 Snapper And The Ocean
08 What Are You Thinking
09 Hot Sun
10 I Don't Know
11 Emmanuelle
12 Dry Spot
13 Rain

Get it HERE.

C. Arjun - Jai Santoshi Maa (1975)

Jai Santoshi Maa is a low budget 1975 Hindi film that was the surprise hit of the year and which brought Santoshi Maa, a little known Hindu Goddess, the wider attention of the Indian public. Usha Mangeshkar, sister of both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, sings many of the beautiful devotional songs on C. Arjun's great soundtrack.

Tracklist:

01 Main to Arti Utaron
02 Yahan Wahan Jahan Tahan
03 Mat Ro Mat Ro Aaj Radhike
04 Yahan Wahan Jahan Tahan
05 Karti Hoon Tumhara Vrat
06 Mada Karo Santoshi Mata

Get it HERE.

Patty Pravo - Per Aver Visto Un Uomo Piangere E Soffrire Dio Si Trasformò In Musica E Poesia

I picked up two Patty Pravo LPs in a charity shop a couple of years ago and this one has really grown on me. Patty started out as a nightclub singer in the mid '60s, she has the honour of being the first pop singer to have a song played on Vatican Radio. This is her 1971 foray into orchestral prog-rock histrionics, I don't understand the Italian she sings but to me she conjures filmic images of a startled awakening from a '60s dream, aimless glamour, cynical and dead-eyed jetsetters in Rimini nightclubs, smashed ashtrays and hysteria. Maybe you'll like it.



Tracklist:

01 Morire... Dormire... Forse Sognare
02 Lanterne Antiche (Antique Annie's Magic Lantern Show)
03 Poema Degli Occhi (Poema Dos Olhos Da Amada)
04 Storia Di Una Donna Che Ha Amato Due Volte Un Uomo Che Non Sapeva Amare (The Same Old Chair)
05 Preghiera (Bright Tomorrow)
06 Un Uomo Una Donna Una Bambina (Do Yourself)
07 Un Volto Bianco Sulla Neve (I Do Love You)
08 T. L. & R. (Thunder Lightning And Rain)
09 Follow The Lamb

Get it HERE.

Maria Bethania - A Arte de Maria Bethania (1975)

Alright folks, you're in for a treat tonight. I picked up this scratchy old gem in a record & tape exchange in Notting Hill a month or so ago and its been getting played to death in my house. There's quite a lot of crackle on this I'm afraid, but the sheer quality and brilliance of Maria Bethania's music shines through. The recordings on this 1975 compilation album are quite simple exquisite. Her songs are sophisticated and urbane, yet vibrant and full of emotion, romance and drama. It sounds like there's a fearsome intelligence at work here and maybe that is why she's one of Brazil's most popular and biggest selling female singers.

Tracklist:

01 A Tua Presença
02 Mariana, Mariana
03 Dia 4 De Dezembro
04 Maria Bethânia & Edu Lobo – Pra Dizer Adeus
05 Texto Nº1 De Fernando Pessoa: O Mar (Canção Praieira)
05.1 Suíte Dos Pescadores
05.2 Avarandado
06 Bom Conselho
07 Bom Dia
08 Drama
09 Movimento Dos Barcos
09.1 Baioque
09.2 Texto De Luiz Carlos Lacerda: Esse Cara
09.3 Bodas De Prata
09.4 Tatuagem
09.5 Texto De Fernando Pessoa: Volta Por Cima
09.6 Eu Sou A Outra
10 Sinal Fechado
10.1 Roda Viva
10.2 Rosa Dos Ventos
10.3 Cala A Boca, Bárbara
10.4 Resposta
10.5 Demoníaca
11 Coração Ateu (Da Novela Gabriela)
12 Janelas Abertas Nº 2
13 Olhe O Tempo Passando
14 Maria Bethânia & Jorge Ben – Mano Caetano
15 Maria Bethânia & Edu Lobo – Se Eu Morresse Amanhã
16 Cirandeiro
17 Minha História
17.1 Lembranças
17.2 Doce Mistério Da Vida (Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life)
18 Maria Bethânia & Chico Buarque & Nara Leão – Cantores Do Rádio
19 Iansã
20 Estácio Holly Estácio
21 Estrela Do Mar
21.1 Meu Primeiro Amor
21.2 Soneto
21.3 Preciso Aprender A Só Ser
21.4 A Lenda Do Abaeté
21.5 Oração Da Mãe Menininha
21.6 Filhos De Gandhi
21.7 Texto De Clarice Lispector: Luz Da Noite
22 Eu Fui À Europa
22.1 Gás Neon
22.2 Luzes Da Ribalta (Limelight)
22.3 Chão De Estrelas
22.4 Sinal Fechado

Get it HERE.

United Bible Studies - The Lunar Observatory (Foxglove CDr 2004)

United Bible Studies are a folk collective from Dublin. With an ever changing line-up the troupe's gentle and meditative improvisations shift and mutate, with spectral melodies drifting in and out of focus like smoke. Their sound on The Lunar Observatory occupies a strange, vertiginous space somewhere up in the clouds, taking in elements of traditional English folk music, experimental improvised jazz and lo-fi noise. I strongly recommend you check this out then have a look at their website and maybe buy some of their music. You could also do worse than check out what's happening over at Foxy Digitalis.

Tracklist:

01		Stag Horn Mountains (Cernunnos Rising)
02		Sea Of Rains
03		The Gibbous Stones
04		Dark Lowland Plains
05		Prosper Henry
06		The Lunar Observatory
07		Old Moon In The New Moon's Arms

Get it HERE.