The Sherbs - Defying Gravity - Clear Pink with blubble splatter and deep purple splatter - VINYL LP

Sunshine and Balance Beams, Pile's ninth album, is a Sisyphean fable concerned with labor and living. To write it, singer Rick Maguire inhabited Incha dark place,Inch wrestling with the concept that there is no enlightenment, no end to suffering. Maguire explores workaholism, the myth of meritocracy, and acceptance of mortality-all through a devilish allegory of trudging through a shadowy forest towards the uncertain dream of a bright clearing. Pile wrestles with existential and social contradictions by evoking sonic in-betweens. The music exists somewhere in the temporary equilibrium of light and shadow, chaos and order. Heated rain-like guitars, shifting drums that pave sinuous roads in sound and pace, eerie synths, and aqueous strings add to a panoramic production of loud-quiet dynamism matching the emotionality of the band's thunderous performances. The group also favored freewheeling performances that would animate the storytelling, while enlisting a string section (violins, viola, cello) to perform incandescent, through-composed arrangements co-written by cellist Eden Rayz and Pile. They drew inspiration from cinema and opera scores by Chopin, Bernard Herrmann, and Ralph Vaughan Williams, lending Sunshine a larger-than-life sound that intensifies Pile's blistering realizations of some of their most accessible songwriting to date. The recording is a noticeable leap in production value, and centers Maguire's vocals in new and exciting ways. Pile traveled to Pawtucket, RI for two weeks of tracking at Machines with Magnets with longtime engineer Miranda Serra (Kal Marks, Kira McSpice). The album was mixed by Seth Manchester (Lightning Bolt, Mdou Moctar), and Mastered by Matt Colton (Aphex Twin, Swans, Muse). Sunshine and Balance Beams is Pile's first album for Chicago's Sooper Records. Album Tracks 1. Balance Beams 2. An Opening 3. Deep Clay 4. A Loosene

Opaque Deep Purple. The Sherbs's second album, Defying Gravity, followed in 1981, but failed to produce a single that charted in the either the US or Australian top 100. The band did, however, chart on Billboard's Rock Tracks Chart with the album cut InchWe Ride TonightInch peaking at No. 26 in 1982. The track's mild AOR success was not enough to ignite album sales in the US, though, and Defying Gravity only reached No. 202 on the album charts. A mini-album, Shaping Up, appeared in 1982. It was critically well received and spawned two minor hits in Australia, but the US issue missed the chart completely. The Sherbs were now in a position where the US listening public were largely indifferent to their releases, and - despite their newer, more contemporary sound - the Australian audience had seemingly written them off as a relic of the 1970s. Porter has said that he found this especially frustrating, as he felt The Sherbs were actually writing and performing better material during this era than in their 1970s heyday.James left The Sherbs at the end of 1982 to be replaced by Tony Leigh (Harry Young and Sabbath, Gillian Eastoe Band) on guitar. In late 1983, the group announced their decision to disband in 1984, they reverted to Sherbet and undertook a successful farewell tour of Australia and a final single, InchTonight Will Last ForeverInch. Shakespeare returned to co-write and appear on the final single. Both Shakespeare and James rejoined Sherbet on the final tour. The Shaping Up EP and singles are featured as bonus cuts on this . Album Tracks 1. We Ride Tonight 2. Free the Sailor 3. Steppin' on Ice 4. Blood on My Hands 5. We Can Make It 6. I'm Alive 7. The Danger Zone 8. Some People 9. The Escape 10. I Wanna Lay with You 11. Defying Gravity 12. Don't Throw It All Away 13. Shaping Up 14. Tonight Will Last Forever 15. The Party's Over

2012 NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan's performances are always intriguing blends of imaginative music making and deeply felt, richly emotional story telling. More than many performing artists, she lays her life on the line with everything she sings. And more than any other jazz vocalist she reflects the power of the instrumentalists who shaped her musical life. She alone, it seems, can combine Rollins' drive and Parker's soaring invention with Ella's spunk and Billie's passion. This recording with bassist Harvie S shows off her immaculate phrasing and dead-on pitch on a dozen standards. Album Tracks 1. Yesterdays 2. Better Than Anything 3. The Very Thought of You 4. You Don't Know What Love Is 5. It Don't Mean a Thing 6. Fats Waller Medley 7. Mood Indigo 8. Waltz for Debby (Lazy Days) 9. I Concentrate on You 10. Lazy Afternoon 11. Blue Skies 12. Fred Astaire Medley