V.A. Studio One - Scorcher Instrumentals

Today we have something for any lovers of reggae and jazz that may be out there. As any fan of reggae can tell you the Studio One record label is synonymous with some of the best artists and music to come out of Jamaica. One of the greatest assets of Studio One was its amazing selection of instrumental players who would put down tracks in the 1960's and 70's that to this day continue to influence the Jamaican music scene. This included  groups and musicians like The Skatalites, Jackie Mittoo, The Soul Vendors, and Tommy McCook all of  which can be heard on this album. This album does an amazing job of highlighting the amazing instrumental tracks that were produced during the golden age of Jamaican music as well as demonstrating the influence that outside music had on the Jamaican music scene.The influence of jazz will clearly be seen in these tracks. Not to mention tracks like Lester Sterling's - African Beat which is clearly based on the classic Afrikkaan Beat by Bert Kaempfert. Overall this is a great album which I highly recommend as there is no way any music lover could be disappointed with these classic Studio One tracks.


The Skatalites - Coconut Rock
Cedric Im Brooks & The Sound Dimension - Mun Dun Go
The Skatalites & Tommy McCook & Richard Ace - Shockers Rock
The Soul Vendors - Ringo Rock
Jackie Mittoo & Ernest Ranglin - Jericho Skank
New Establishment - The People Skanking
Karl Bryan & The Afrokats - Money Generator
Lester Sterling - Afrikaan Beat
The Sound Dimension - Heavy Rock
Sugar Belly - In Cold Blood
The Skatalites & Don D. Junior - Heavenless
The Soul Vendors - Bugaloo
Vin Gordon - Red Blood
Pablo Black - Push Pull
Jackie Mittoo & Brentford Rockers - Sidewalk Doctor
Liberation Group - Namibia
The Brentford Road All Stars - Last Call
The Soul Defenders - Still Calling
Karl Bryan & Count Ossie - Black 
UCLICK TO DOWNLOADp

Various Artists - Cracks in The Iron Curtain Part 1

Today's post comes from the great blog over at http://michaelvee.livejournal.com which I highly recommend checking out if you are a fan of pure 60's rock. This compilation basically captures what were many of the 60's era artists in Eastern Europe. Of course what one must keep in mind is that at this time period in almost any East European country playing any form of rock or western music could get you a lot of unwanted attention from the government. Records and recordings for a lot of these groups were often quite rare since the material was almost entirely homemade. If you are a fan of any type of rock music especially the classic stuff from the 60's then I highly recommend giving this compilation a listen.

01/ Franke Echo Quintett - Show-Beat (GDR)
02/ Ruth Brandin & Sputniks - Mich hat noch keiner beim Twist geküsst (GDR)
03/ Eolika – Minikleitina (RU, LAT)
04/ Henryk Fabian & Czerwono-Czarni - Nie o tobie dzisiaj myślę (PL)
05/ Frank Schöbel & Team 4 - Es gibt nicht nur Dich (GDR)
06/ Siostry Panas - Wakacyjna piosenka (PL)
07/ Miki Volek & Olympic - Skinny Minnie (CZ)
08/ Lel' - Карие глаза (RU)
09/ Pięciolinie - Roztańczone niebo (PL)
10/ Pięć Linii - Pożegnanie ze szkołą (PL)
11/ Wojciech Gąssowsk & Tajfuny - Przejdzmy Wreszcie Na Ty (PL)
12/ Mètro- Boys (HU)
13/ George & Beatovens - Why Do You Leave Me (CZ)
14/ Chochoły - Amor a kysz (PL)
15/ Polanie- Dlaczego tak traktujesz mnie (PL)
16/ Atlantis -Drága bakter úr (HU)
17/ Beatmen- Keby som bol Nór (CZ)
18/ Ada Rusowicz & Niebiesko Czarni - Nie pukaj do moich drzwi (PL)
19/ Beatings -Znám muže (CZ)
20/ Niebiesko-Czarni - Tak mi źle (PL)
21/ Illes- Little Richard (HU)
22/ Maria Mitseva & Shturcite- Pticite nyamat senki (BU)
23/ Synkopy 61 - Byl jednou jeden král (CZ)
24/ Czerwone Gitary- Cztery Pory Roku (PL)
25/ Skaldowie- Medytacje wiejskiego listonosza (PL)
26/ Koncz Zsuzsa & Illes - Szoke Anni Balladaja (HU)

 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Please Read

I recently received various e-mails from uploading.com (file sharing site that I use) about people reporting lots of my uploads as ones that infringe on copyright laws and thus would be removed from the site.
So please if you see any links that are dead and no longer working let me know and I will try to re-upload the material.
Also to the people who are reporting my uploads for copyright infringement, the music and other material on this blog is not being posted for any sort of material gain. All content is merely posted with the intent of opening an avenue for listeners to be exposed to music they might not have known about previously and this way may become interested in buying original material which will support the actual artists and musicians featured in this blog.

Philemon Zulu - How Long- Zulu Jive

Any true reggae lover will recognize Shanchie as one of the great reggae labels having put out albums by such legends as Augustus Pablo. However Shanchie's killer records are not limited only to reggae but include various other genres including music from various different countries. So whenever I am in a record store and happen to find a Shanchie record I usually will buy it and take it home with me. The latest of these additions is an album from Southern Africa, "How Long" by Philemon Zulu. This album is clear evidence of the great music that the African continent has been able to produce by blending traditional song with modern instruments. This is also an album that would be great for anyone looking for an introduction into the world of African music specifically South African music. Overall an album that I am very much glad I found and recommend giving a listen to.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Minor Threat - Complete Discography

To this day Minor Threat is one of my favorite punk bands and one that I think played a crucial role in the original punk music scene of the 1970's and 1980's. The thing that Minor Threat is best known for besides their fast and angry sounds is their "straight edge" lyrics. The term straight edge comes from a song of the same name by Minor Threat which describes the band's frustration mainly with drugs and alcohol and how the world especially young people are obsessed with these things. The thing that to me makes Minor Threat unique is that while certain artists preach one thing and practice a whole other thing Minor Threat and especially their vocalist Ian MacKaye really practiced what he preached. Ian would even often times refuse to play shows were people of all ages were not allowed in because of alcohol being served.
This is one of those bands that much like The Clash and others that I have posted on the blog I not only enjoy their music but also agree with their message. If you like any form of rock or punk rock and have never heard of these guys than I strongly recommend you give them a listen.

1.Filler
2.I Don't Wanna Hear It
3.Seeing Red
4.Straight Edge
5.Small Man, Big Mouth
6.Screaming At A Wall
7.Bottled Violence
8.Minor Threat
9.Stand Up
10.12XU (Cover Wire)
11.In My Eyes
12.Out Of Step (With The World)
13.Guilty Of Being White
14.Steppin' Stone (Cover The Monkees)
15.Betray
16.It Follows
17.Think Again
18.Look Back And Laugh
19.Sob Story
20.No Reason
21.Little Friend
22.Out Of Step
23.Cashing In
24.Stumped
25.Good Guys (Don't Wear White) (Cover The Standells)
26.Salad Days
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Rolando Alarcon - Por Cuba y Vietnam

Many people have heard of Victor Jara and many (rightfully so) identify him as a key figure in the music of Chile and its' political message especially during the time of the coup against president Salvador Allende. However today we will look at another Chilean folk musician from the same era with much the same message as Victor Jara but much less well known. While very well known in Chile, Rolando Alarcon is for the most part unknown to the outside world especially outside of the Spanish speaking world. His music is very much what one would expect from a very traditional folk musician, music with lots of passion, sentiment, and many times music with a strong message. The album that I am making available for download "Por Cuba y Vietnam" (Through Cuba and Vietnam) shows the strong sentiment of solidarity that many Latin American musicians felt with the Socialist and Communist nations as the US and other western powers extended their influence and stranglehold over the Latin America. This is definitely an album worth checking out if you enjoy any sort of folk or traditional music as it will not disappoint.
1. Pregúntale a Cuba hermano
2. Sin bandera
3. Se llama Fidel
4. Carta al Che
5. En el Valle del Yuro
6. Las doradas colinas de Binh Thuan
7. Hermano, hermano... llorarás
8. Su nombre puede ponerse en verso (Ho Chi Min)
9. Algún día, Viet-Nam
10. Cueca por Viet-Nam
 CLICK TO DOWNLOAD

Grand Prix (1966)

Someone recently brought to my attention that while the blog is called "Lightning Strikes Music and Whatever Else" the blog is mostly made up of music and little to go into the "whatever else" category. So to help remedy this I thought I would share one of my favorite movies the 1960's classic Grand Prix. The movie revolves around the professional and personal lives of a few Formula 1 drivers as they struggle to deal with the pressures and dangers of motorsport. Grand Prix does an excellent job of capturing what early
Formula 1 consisted of...fast cars, good looking girls, and danger in every corner.  This is a relatively long movie at almost 4 hours however there is plenty of action and drama throughout to keep you more than entertained and I should mention that even though auto racing is obviously a main part of the plot even someone who has never seen a Formula 1 race in their lives or knows nothing of the sport can enjoy this great movie.

 

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD