Sunday 28 June 2015

Blackberry Winter, US 1975 [no download]






You will notice that the copy for sale here is a little pricey-- 300 USD -- which perhaps goes a long way towards explaining why I am not allowed to present a download.  Instead I will feature some great songwriting from this record with the very evocative cover painting, my favourite being a song called Aging:





Although relatively trite as lyrics the evocation of aging, musically, is really artistically remarkable.  Another standout track, After the Rain with its lovely chorus modulation up a minor third:






Another great song, Answers:





So what we have here is some very crafty, original songwriting, no special progressive tendencies, but surprisingly beautiful-- not as compelling as the Exceptions album, but certainly well worth seeking out to hear.  I think it really deserves a cd reissue, on the basis that plenty of middle-aged men will love this type of mid-seventies soft rock material, though I'm sure Tom would disagree.


14 comments:

  1. I think it's dumb that cause people are selling it for a lot of money (good for them, sincerely, neither here nor-there), we can't download the album... cause, that would be unfair to few people who want to sell it??? I guarantee, if a record is worth seeking out for that much money, other people being able to listen to it digitally wont change that. And if the person who is buying t is only doing so because and under the conditions that other people can't, should stick pencils into their ears until the die of deafness. They are not the point of music's chosen people. They are not for art's sake... They are just selfish hoarders of an interchangeable medium. They oughta stick to beanie babies.

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    1. BRILLIANTLY PUT ! , there is far too much of this elitism , music was recorded to be heard by the many and not to enhance the few with big bank balances and deaf ears , mac

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  2. I actually agree with you on that point, but the main reason it doesn't make sense is because eventually everything will be digitized ...

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  3. Very nice tracks, I particularly enjoyed After The Rain when the brass kicks in - though the price tag seems a little steep but I guess scarcity rather than innate quality often dictates the cost.

    At least, this was the old model - that one pays for the exclusivity of the commodity - however, I have seen in recent years, the rise of another model - namely, the very distribution of a record in digital format through the network of blogs and shared freely increases the price far more than the old restrictive model of exclusivity because far more people, on a global basis, hear the music, and want to own a copy.

    I think once record buyers understand that ripping a copy of a very rare album and sharing it actually increases the price of the original album far more than restricting it to a small network of buyers, far more records will start appearing in digital form.

    Having said that, the latter model only works if the music is any good (and if there are good blogs like progressivereview who know what good music is in the first place!).

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    1. I think you're right about that, because oftentimes there is a very rare expensive album that turns out to be unlistenable, like inconstant sol's http://inconstantsol.blogspot.com/2014/12/rischkas-light-faces-iris-inri-pencil.html
      which usually sold for thousands of euros, I wonder what the price will be like now.

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    2. That's sad for those who bought it before they could even check it out, like say at a seller's house or a record show... but if a record sucks, the price should reflect the general consensus. I don't see how making records harder to acquire is better for anyone. If you are a record junkie, your real buy/sell/trade profits will come from the inevitable high quantity of exchanges you do rather than that one big sale of an utlra-rare ultra-mediocre also-progged that, "thank God he didn't hear that before he shelled out 1000 or I wouldn't have made my rent," you sold.

      But... I just realized, not that I thought it was your 'preProgative' before but, that it's a lot more to do with the fact that you have friends and fellow collectors who are gracious enough to share music with you and either have expressed a desire to limit the exposure of these rare items or it's simply a courtesy, so as to not abuse and limit your connections to these rare and new finds... my bad. And at least you expose us to the music and allow us to get a sense of what it's all about. I appreciate that.

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  4. Wow this sounds awesome, hopefully the music gods will grace my ears with a rip of this someday...thanks anyway bro for the tidbits...another one to go on my wishlists :)...I too agree with ya soundvoyeur...
    ...Cruising again in the all-night Time Machine,
    under ghostly moonglow and firefly twilight, we discover hidden artifacts
    from the past, present, and future...4:00 am June, the sky is green...
    --- GRADUATION KEY ---
    1. Didn't You Hear?...Mort Garson
    2. Golden Landing (Part One)...Ramases
    3. 4:00 A.M., June; The Sky Was Green...The Open Window
    4. Oree...Laurent Thibault
    5. Door Knob...Orpheus
    6. Child Is Father To The Man...The Beach Boys
    7. Chapter 24...Pink Floyd
    8. Col. Forbin's Ascent~The Vibration Of Life~The Famous Mockingbird...Phish
    9. The Dimension Man...Ethos
    10. The Third Ring's Watery Flow...Roger Glover
    11. The Fourth Ring's With The Wind...Roger Glover
    12. Didn't You Hear? (End Title)...Mort Garson
    www6.zippyshare.com/v/rizsMjK2/file.html
    ...and it's high time we visit
    --- TREASURE ISLAND ---
    1. Come On In...The Association
    2. Let's Go Away For Awhile...The Beach Boys
    3. Marrakesh Express...Crosby, Stills & Nash
    4. Welcome You're In Love...The American Breed
    5. Old Antone's...Huey Lewis & The News
    6. Chanting And Raving...Cafe Jacques
    7. I'm Only Sleeping...The Beatles
    8. Now Mona Lisa...Ramases
    9. Jubilee Morning...Children Of All Ages
    10. Mr. Blue Sky...Electric Light Orchestra
    11. Food...The Turtles
    12. My Island...Fabulous Farquahr
    13. Bobbie's Blues...Northern Lights
    14. Green, Green (Big, Big River)...Bob Ray
    15. Juliet...Neil Diamond
    16. Man In The Mirror...Michael Jackson
    17. Damn Good...David Lee Roth
    18. Treasure It...The Fixx
    19. Islands...Phil Manzanera/801
    20. Harvey's Tune...Bloomfield, Kooper, Stills
    21. Over Fire Island...Brian Eno
    www46.zippyshare.com/v/wm3lgCWz/file.html
    Enjoy my friends!

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  5. Thanks for the rip again, OC!

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  6. This album sounds great, I am into the music not the rarity.... I am one all for uploading these "precious" LPs to drive the predatory record collector/traders back into their festy holes.... sorry if that offends but I can't stand them..... I've known more than a few.... and for some reason it brings the worst out in people.... They have no right to profit the way they do.
    I have a vast collection of CDRs mainly of all sorts of prog stuff worldwide, you beat me hands down for some of these obscurities though I'm not very driven to play the game of searching them out anymore either. I am sure though you've traded with many of my old trading buddies from a few years back....a copy of this post would be great at a later stage to hear...... cheers.

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  7. One other thing.... the way these collectors go on..... it's no wonder no one really gives a shit that one of the wonders of the modern world is going down without out anyone caring what they've lost.... the longer they hold out from sharing the worse it gets. Less and less people each year go to record fairs until finally they close down....etc,etc...

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  8. Now with that sweet Autumn breeze
    starting colors trickling through the trees,
    this great little gem really finds a shine,
    Happy Fall to all :)
    Enjoy my friends!
    www39.zippyshare.com/v/fpkidDj1/file.html

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  9. Thank You and greetings from Austria!

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