(Jazz-Rock, Jazz fusion) [LP] [24/96] Al Di Meola - Коллекция (5 LP) - 1976-1983, FLAC (tracks+.cue)

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Analyzed folder: /Al Di Meola - Land Of The Midnight Sun (LP)
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR13 -0.12 dB -15.97 dB 01 Al Di Meola - LADO 1- The Wizard.wav
DR12 -1.75 dB -16.31 dB 02 Al Di Meola - Land Of The Midnight Sun.wav
DR14 -6.33 dB -23.75 dB 03 Al Di Meola - Sarabande From Violin Sonata In B Minor.wav
DR13 -4.06 dB -19.15 dB 04 Al Di Meola - Love Theme From "Pictures Of The Sea".wav
DR12 -0.44 dB -14.41 dB 05 Al Di Meola - LADO 2- Suite - Golden Dawn (3 Parts).wav
DR13 -0.78 dB -17.56 dB 06 Al Di Meola - Short Tales Of The Black Forest.wav
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Number of files: 6
Official DR value: DR13
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4.5 stars really!!!!
Having recently shocked and awed the JR/F world with two amazing albums (Hymn To The seventh Galaxy and Romantic Warrior), Return To Forever was riding high on the wave it had created, riding on Corea and DiMeola's incredibly fast playing, displaying a monstrous but cold virtuosity that would eventually have a lot of fans grinding their teeth. ADM's debut solo album was another monster that would enthral fans around the world. This writer bought the album within the month it came out, well before he would indulge in Nucleus of Liles' start of the decade masterpieces, so for a few years, this album represented what jazz-rock was all about. Although called a solo album, you'd swear this could yet another RTF album as all of the RTF members appears at one point or another on this album. Musically speaking, this album is a bit schizophrenic, as 2/3 pf it is pure jazz rock, while the last third is more eclectic, from Classical too.
Starting out on one of the album's highlight, Wizard, with its superb rhythm section and Latin percussions ala Santana and Al's guitar, often Santana-esque as well. Starting almost on the same feel, the title track is a tremendous piece, where Al and Chick trade incredibly fast and virtuosi lines. But in this case, Al's guitar resembles more McLaughlin's while the Latin percussions might sound a bit odd for this supposedly Norwegian-inspired track. In terms of jazz-rock, this album would be stuck between Santana's bests (Caravanserai), Mahavishnu's best (Birds Of Fire) and RTF's Romantic Warrior. Closing the album's first side is a slow Bach piece (Sarabande), which might sound out of place, but provides a welcome interlude.
On the flipside, the album starts on the equally XXX , a progressive pieces that comes with delicate female/male vocals that could come out of Carlos Santana & Alice Coltrane's Illuminations. The lengthy three-part suite Golden Dawn brings us back to the album's main focus, a sizzling JR/F (can't speak of pure fusion jazz album yet). You'd swear this was McLaughlin with Hammer duelling/duetting back in 72 for BOF. The closing Black Forest is a Chick Corea-written acoustic piece that displays the duo's talents and closely the album in a very worthy manner.
ADM's solo debut album is one of the late 70's crown jewels, one of those albums that will probably never age and is part of the history of its genre. A very highly and warmly recommended album, and probably my favourite, even over the usually better rated Elegant Gypsy album that was to follow this one.
Review by Sean Trane, progarchives.com

Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS
Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Mastered At – Sterling Sound
Recorded At – Different Fur Studios
Copyright © – CBS
Made By – Shorewood Packaging
Published By – Mingo Lewis Music
Published By – Di Meola Music Co.
Published By – Litha Music
Notes
Recorded at Electric Lady Recording Studios, New York. Except A4 recorded at Different Fur Trading Co. in San Francisco
A2 dedicated to Chick Corea
Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York
Arranged and produced for Noonzio Productions, Inc. in coordination with Forever Unlimited Productions
? © 1976 CBS Inc.
Made in Holland (Label)
Printed in Holland (Sleeve)
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Rights Society: BIEM/STEMRA
Label Code: LC 0149

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Analyzed folder: /Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy (LP)
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR12 -0.63 dB -15.91 dB 01 Al Di Meola - LADO 1- Flight Over Rio.wav
DR13 -0.74 dB -16.94 dB 02 Al Di Meola - Midnight Tango.wav
DR15 -4.48 dB -22.14 dB 03 Al Di Meola - Mediterranean Sundance.wav
DR12 -0.12 dB -14.32 dB 04 Al Di Meola - LADO 2- Race With Devil On Spanish Highway.wav
DR13 -2.14 dB -19.88 dB 05 Al Di Meola - Lady Of Rome, Sister Of Brazil.wav
DR12 -0.27 dB -14.34 dB 06 Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy Suite.wav
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Number of files: 6
Official DR value: DR13
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Al DiMeola is what so many shred metal guitarists wish they could be. He can play a ridiculous number of notes per second yet he plays with a musicality seldom rivalled by the genre he helped to inspire. Elegant Gypsy shows Al in his prime, with an intractable lineup featuring flamenco god Paco De Lucia and Mahavishnu organ grinder Jan Hammer. The result is a blazing set of fusion that is over far too soon.
"Flight Over Rio" starts off with guitar and keyboard interplay that sets teh foundation for the boys in Dream Theater to pick up a decade later. "Midnight Tango" eases off the throttle brings an island vibe with steel drums and congas. This song shows the elegant side of the gypsy. "Mediterranean Sundance" features Paco keeping pace with Al as the two play lighting-fast flamenco. "Race With the Devil on tehSpanish Highway" is the highlight of the album with a great bass part, latin rhythms and mind-blowing performances from DiMeola. "Lady Of Rome Sister Of Brazil" is an interlude that leads up to the fianle, "Elegant Gypsy Suite." Think that the album so far has been challenging? You've heard nothing yet. De Lucia and DiMeola lay down impossibly complex riffs using God knows how many effects, and Jan Hammer's solo is one of his finest performances. This epic track alone is worth the price of the album, which is nicely quite cheap.
If you are a fan of prog, fusion, or even just the guitar, get this album. Al seamlessly fuses jazz, latin music, and guitar-based rock into one of the three best fusion albums of all time (the other two being Mahavishnu's Birds of Fire and Bruford's One of a Kind). Al Di Meola is one of those rare guitarists who can both inspire players and discourage them, as the talent he displays can shame 99% of the world's guitarists.
Grade: A
Review by 1800iareyay, progarchives.com

Artwork [Front Cover And Inner Sleeve Picture Concept And Direction] – Al DiMeola*
Design – Paula Scher
Engineer [Mastering] – Robert Ludwig*
Engineer [Recording] – Dave Palmer (2)
Photography By – Bill King (12)
Producer, Arranged By – Al Di Meola
Notes
Half-Speed Mastered
Includes printed inner sleeve with credits.
All compositions published by DiMeola Music Company (ASCAP) except "Flight Over Rio," published by Hitman Music (BMI).

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Analyzed folder: /Al Di Meola - Casino (LP)
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR13 -0.34 dB -15.91 dB 01 Al Di Meola - LADO 1- Egyptian Danza.wav
DR13 -1.12 dB -15.47 dB 02 Al Di Meola - Chasin' The Voodoo.wav
DR13 -0.98 dB -16.95 dB 03 Al Di Meola - Dark Eye Tango.wav
DR14 -2.27 dB -19.13 dB 04 Al Di Meola - LADO 2- Senor Mouse.wav
DR13 -4.23 dB -20.53 dB 05 Al Di Meola - Fantasia Suite For Two Guitars (4 Parts).wav
DR15 -1.12 dB -20.18 dB 06 Al Di Meola - Casino.wav
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Number of files: 6
Official DR value: DR13
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Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Credits
Engineer – Dave Palmer (2)
Engineer [Assistant] – Jim Galante
Mastered By – Robert Ludwig
Producer, Arranged By – Al Di Meola
Notes
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York. Mastered at Master Disk, New York.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode: 07464352771

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Analyzed folder: /Al Di Meola - Electric Rendezvous (LP)
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR14 -1.21 dB -17.23 dB 01 Al Di Meola - LADO 1- God Bird Change.wav
DR14 -1.14 dB -17.38 dB 02 Al Di Meola - Electric Rendezvous.wav
DR14 -5.59 dB -22.31 dB 03 Al Di Meola - Passion, Grace & Fire.wav
DR14 -0.76 dB -17.54 dB 04 Al Di Meola - LADO 2- Cruisin'.wav
DR14 -0.62 dB -17.88 dB 05 Al Di Meola - Black Cat Shuffle.wav
DR14 -1.46 dB -18.99 dB 06 Al Di Meola - Ritmo De La Noche.wav
DR13 -9.29 dB -24.33 dB 07 Al Di Meola - Somalia.wav
DR13 -7.19 dB -23.75 dB 08 Al Di Meola - Jewel Inside A Dream.wav
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Number of files: 8
Official DR value: DR14
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Recorded At – Power Station
Recorded At – Electric Lady Studios
Recorded At – Minot Sound
Mixed At – Cherokee Studios
Recorded At – Ochoa Recording Studios
Mastered At – Masterdisk
Credits
Bass – Anthony Jackson (tracks: A1, A2 to B5)
Co-producer, Engineer – Dennis Mackay
Design – Paula Scher
Drums – Steve Gadd (tracks: A1, A2 to B5)
Engineer [Assistant At Cherokee] – David Spritz, Mark Sackett, Paul Ray (3)
Engineer [Assistant At Electric Lady] – James Nichols
Engineer [Assistant At Minot] – Bruce Robbins
Engineer [Assistant At Ochoa] – Stephen Benben (tracks: A3), Steve Bravin (tracks: A3)
Engineer [Assistant At Power Station] – Barry Bongiovi, Chris Haas, Dave Greenberg, Jeff Hendrickson
Executive Producer – Philip Roberge
Guitar – Paco De Lucia (tracks: A3)
Illustration – Mark Hess
Keyboards – Jan Hammer (tracks: A1, A2 to B5), Philippe Saisse (tracks: B2)
Mastered By – RL*
Percussion – Mingo Lewis (tracks: A1, A2 to B5)
Producer, Guitar – Al Di Meola
Notes
Paco De Lucia appears courtesy of Phonogram
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode: 0 7464-37654-1
Matrix / Runout (A Side Etched): AL-37654-1B RL
Matrix / Runout (B Side Etched): BL-37654-1A
Matrix / Runout (A Side Stamped): Masterdisk
Matrix / Runout (B Side Stamped): Masterdisk

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Analyzed folder: /Al Di Meola - Scenario (LP)
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DR Peak RMS Filename
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DR15 -0.88 dB -18.43 dB 01 Al Di Meola - LADO 1- Mata Hari.wav
DR12 -2.17 dB -16.93 dB 02 Al Di Meola - African Night.wav
DR13 -0.10 dB -15.97 dB 03 Al Di Meola - Island Dreamer.wav
DR14 -1.05 dB -19.26 dB 04 Al Di Meola - Scenario.wav
DR12 -2.18 dB -16.00 dB 05 Al Di Meola - LADO 2- Sequencer.wav
DR14 -0.44 dB -17.13 dB 06 Al Di Meola - Cachaca.wav
DR13 -1.70 dB -17.39 dB 07 Al Di Meola - Hypnotic Conviction.wav
DR14 -0.31 dB -18.12 dB 08 Al Di Meola - Calliope.wav
DR12 -0.28 dB -16.74 dB 09 Al Di Meola - Scoundrel.wav
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Number of files: 9
Official DR value: DR13
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This was an interesting phase for Mr. Di Meola. It was the 1980s after all, not an easy time for any musician who'd been around as long as he, and he found himself adapting to that brave new musical world the best way he could. The result was 'Scenario', and it turned out to be quite a tasty little album. The line up for the session was also an asset; Jan Hammer on keys, Fairlight CMI, piano, Linn and Roland drums, and Moog bass. As well, Bill Bruford and Tony Levin guest on a track, and Phil Collins appears. This didn't produce a prog supergroup for the 80s but it did make for one of the better synthetic projects of that often garish period. The winds of the East and an Indian Bansuri, all electronic, open the desert pictures of 'Mata Hari', a track that showcases fluid rhythms from Hammer's Linn drums and Fairlight with Di Meola's cool plucking on top. The obligatory Adult Contemporary pap follows with 'African Night' and the record is further diminished by the dreadful 'Island Dreamer'. Luckily, these two maestros snap out of it and give us the superb title cut, a lovely and passioned duet of Al's Flamenco strings with Hammer's alternating piano and synth. A diamond in the rough and one of the things worth admission. 'Sequencer', in many ways the flagship of this project, is a bright electro-rocker where the blend of high-tech with hard rock is best illuminated and features one of this guitarist's best, most elegantly fierce staccato performances. 'Cachaca' slows the pace a bit but the guitar still cuts like a knife as it does in 'Hypnotic Conviction'. The eerie 'Calliope' develops into an odd-metered romp with melodic solos and the album finishes with the racing and clipping 'Scoundrel', an exercise in instrumental prowess. And please note the hats-off to Jeff Beck's 'Blue Wind' at the end, a well-deserved homage to that rock fusion giant.
Review by Atavachron, progarchives.com

Recorded At – Caribou Ranch
Mastered At – A&M Studios
Credits
Co-producer, Engineer – Dennis Mackay
Design [Album] – John Berg
Engineer [Assistant] – Jerry Mahler, Rich Markowitz
Executive-Producer – Philip Roberge
Keyboards, Bass, Drums, Piano, Organ – Jan Hammer
Mastered By – Bernie Grundman
Photography By – David Kennedy (10)
Producer, Guitar, Synthesizer, Tom Tom, Guitar [Chordophone], Drums – Al Di Meola
Written-By – Al Di Meola (tracks: A1, A2, A4, B2 to B5), Jan Hammer (tracks: A3, B1, B3, B5)
Notes
A Digital Recording.
Phil Collins appears courtesy of Atlantic Records Corporation. Bill Bruford appears courtesy of E.G. Records Ltd.
Even Al goes electronic on this album with the help of Jan Hammer. It's hard to see now, but behind the guitar on the front picture is the monitor of a Fairlight CMI.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Barcode (Text): 0 7464-38944-1
Barcode (Scanned): 074643894418
Matrix / Runout (A SIde Etched): PAL38944-1D
Matrix / Runout (B Side Etched): PBL38944-1C