More CD boxed sets that somehow found their way into Vinyl Connection headquarters during 2022.
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This beautifully curated set has facsimile album covers, including the gatefolds. Several albums have bonus tracks, mostly live, and the booklet is high quality too. All in all, a set I was delighted to have as I’ve never owned any Keef Hartley on vinyl. Their big brassy blues rock sound has progressive elements (like Colosseum, featured in the previous post) and although the later albums are a trifle patchy, it’s a great collection of an often over-looked UK band.
KEEF HARTLEY BAND: SINNIN' FOR YOU, THE ALBUMS 1969-1972 Esoteric Recordings / Decca Music Group 2019
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Scott from HMO put me onto this rather spiffing Steeleye Span collection. It’s quite a catalogue, augmented by a couple of unreleased live recordings. English folk-rock In Excelsis.
STEELEYE SPAN: GOOD TIMES OF OLD ENGLAND, STEELEYE SPAN 1972-1983 Chrysalis Records 2022
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Although I’ve long had several burns of Nucleus albums, no original albums (or even CDs) had graced the collection. Having grabbed the vinyl re-issue of Belladonna (top right in the photo) and simply loved it, I sought out this collection and was not disappointed, musically speaking.
The choice to split albums across the discs, however, is always unsatisfactory. One-and-a-half records per CD may be more efficient but the irritation of not having the albums stand alone and the loss of cover art for every second release seems pointlessly niggardly for a re-issue. The booklet, however, is well written and informative.
NUCLEUS AND IAN CARR: TORRID ZONE, THE VERTIGO RECORDINGS 1970-1975 Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red Records 2019
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Live FM recordings fall into a grey area in terms of legality; they are acceptable in some regions and not in others. I’ve collected a few from favourite artists such as Steely Dan, but this was a first foray into jazz. Or jazz-rock, to be more precise. Although a bit rough around the edges in terms of the actual recordings, this box is a treasure trove of live Herbie Hancock. Although most of it is in his jazz-rock-funk period, there are some delightful surprises. One is the 1981 set featuring Carlos Santana that, amongst other things, inserts “Evil Ways” into an extended “Watermelon Man”. Another is a set where the legendary pianist accompanies Joni Mitchell (the Bread & Roses Festival, 1978). Probably not the best entry point for Hancock’s particular brand of fusion (try 1973’s Head Hunters, an album certain to feature in any hypothetical 73 From ’73 series) but thoroughly entertaining.
HERBIE HANCOCK: THE BROADCAST COLLECTION 1973-1983 Hi Hat 2017
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I loved Robert Fripp’s Frippertronics experiments, in particular God Save The Queen / Under Heavy Manners (1980). This set of ambient soundscapes covers some of the same territory, but with a gentler approach. You can hear the influence of Fripp’s work with Brian Eno in the music (and in the title). This lovely package was, in fact, the only Christmas box in these posts; a gift from the every tolerant Ms Connection.
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vinylconnection.com.au 
I just thought of something. On the TV commercials they always used to say “It’s the big annual Boxing Day mattress sale!! Buy a mattress and get the boxspring 50% off!!!” So maybe Boxing Day is the day you’re supposed to go out and buy a new box spring for your bed. Lmao. No, I’m just kidding. Ha ha
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Y’all could end up with a lot of mattresses that way!
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I looked up Boxing day but I’m still not sure what it is exactly except just the day after Christmas that you go shopping on. And in the old days it used to mean the day that you gave gifts to the poor, in some kind of box I guess. I don’t know why it’s now the day that they have the annual mattress sale though. lol
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Nice research, kingclover. Essentially that’s it. It is British in origin, I understand. Pressies were commonly placed in boxes (visualise Jane Austen films and ladies carrying multiple boxes of different sizes) and thus the day for acknowledging your slaves – sorry, servants – was called Boxing Day. Some old and out-dated things just stick around. Christmas is a good example.
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Yay for the Steeleye Span collection. Murder, kidnapping, infidelity, scabs, elves, drownings, ghosties, Peter Sellers on ukulele – a lot of very jaunty weirdness. They always remind me of going to the local Renaissance Faire when I was a kid with all the D&D kids, agèd hippies, etc. Great tunes, I’ve had most of their albums but some were older recordings I bought used, it’s nice to have remastered versions.
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Always brought great energy and enthusiasm to their brand of folk-rock, did Steeleye Span. Another plus for me was that my following them kind of stopped after Rocket Cottage, so nice to have those two other albums.
Hey, that sounds like my kind of Fayre!
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Fight on!
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Pointlessly niggardly is my new favorite phrase. I’m going to see if I can stream that Fripp, perfect morning for it here in Germany as we finally have some color in the morning sky.
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Would love to hear your thoughts, Bill.
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Four tracks in (up to Requiem) and bought the boxed collection myself online. Sublime! Can’t wait for it to arrive next month.
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That’s cool! I wasn’t sure whether some of it might be a little ‘uneasy’. But with 8 discs, one could just skip ’em I guess!
Hope you are enjoying the Eurocool, Bill. Bit of a stinker here today.
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Yeah sorry for the oppressive heat there mister. I’m familiar with the uneasy aspect of the music for sure and don’t mind it. And you’re right, one can skip…off for a morning walk and just turned the heater off. Funny how different it can be on different parts of this earth, here. Have a good night. Cool off!
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Keef Hartley Band – sounds like the kind of band I’d be right into. Need to check them out – Missed them completely back in the day. Thanks for the prompt. 🙂
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Fantastic. Love sharing these things. 👍
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I didn’t remember it being the next day after Christmas but I remember it being in winter because whenever I drove to Canada for the sales it was always winter. Too bad I couldn’t go today since today is the day after Christmas, but we had a huge blizzard here in Buffalo and nobody’s gonna be going anywhere for days. There’s a travel ban anyway so even if you were able to drive you aren’t allowed to. I guess I’ll have to wait till next year for the big Boxing Day sales.
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I’m still working my way through that Steeleye Span set, it’s a monster. One of my favourite purchases from 2022.
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“somehow found their way into Vinyl Connection headquarters? LOL
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It’s a mystery, Aaron.
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I know it. I live it.
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I am officially Mr Envious.
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🙂🙂
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