Catherine Ribeiro, France ***REISSUED***

Catherine Ribeiro + 2 Bis. 1969 Festival
Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - No. 2. 1970 Festival
Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - Le Temps de l'Autre. 1977 Philips
Catherine Ribeiro + Alpes - Passions. 1979 Philips

***No.2 Reissued as part of a box set released by Mercury in 2012
***The remainder were reissued as part of a 9xCD box set from Mercury in Nov 2015

Moved to UMR

Priority: 1

8/10/09; 9/24/15 (complete)

News: First 9 Catherine Ribeiro albums to be reissued in a box set

Thanks to an anonymous tip on our blog, we learned of this box set coming from Mercury. Details are scant, and it would appear the album has been announced before it was ready to be released. The above scan is the clearest one I could find, and comes from amazon.fr, but the entry has been removed (but captured on cache). The tip pointed to a blurred copy on amazon.de. I could not find any other data, beyond what is obvious on the box cover. This of course would close the book on Ribeiro in the digital world. I'm still hoping for individual releases, since I have 4 of the above on CD already (from Mantra in the 90s). Maybe I will ultimately give in. We'll see. This is the second box set from Mercury in recent years, the first one featured albums 2 through 5. Anyway, great news for Ribeiro fans, especially for those of you who do not own any of her CDs prior.

CDRWL contributor Achim informs us: "I just received the new Ribeiro + Alpes box set. This is actually quite nice. It comes in a sturdy box, with the 9 CDs in LP-like cardboard sleeves (as in the 4xCD box released in 2012) and also has a booklet with biographical notes and some photos. All in all great sound; no bonus material. I bought it from amazon.fr for 30 Euros."

Last update: October 27, 2015

The Advancement, USA

The Advancement - s/t. 1969 Philips

Another title from the CD-R revisit project. There is a "gray area" reissue out there, but we're calling for a better one.

No question that The Advancement are a bunch of jazzers trying their hand at the hip psychedelic sounds of the day. But in the end, they come across as a bunch of clueless squares. Because if they could have let loose on the foundation laid, this would have been an album for the ages. As it stands, The Advancement remains a fine album of instrumental jazz/rock without one notable standout track, including the usual call-outs like 'Stone Folk' and 'Fall Out' which of course feature the only fuzz on the album. Potential unrealized - though worth hearing and owning for certain.

Priority: 3

La Kabala, Peru

La Kabala - s/t. 1970 RCA

This title came about from the ongoing CD-R revisit project.

La Kabala is a mix of late 1960s swinging soul jazz, cruise ship styled loungers sung in Spanish, and an occasional Santana electric guitar outburst to keep everyone on their toes. Flute and roller rink organ fill the other lead roles. Opening and closing tracks are best, with the latter featuring some cool seductive female vocals. Much debate continues to ensue on the origin of the band. Most folks point to Peru, given that the majority of the pressings have emerged from there. However Mexico stubbornly remains in the discussion, and even Americans apparently hanging down south. Perhaps it really is only an exploitation album - without the proper distribution to really call it that (economically speaking). Whatever the case, a fine album, that doesn't require much thought to get into. Very much the perfect tropical vacation album - circa 1970.

Priority: 3