Audiophile Digital

Alfredo Muro
The Spirit Of Christmas
Octave Records OCT-0045 SACD

This is a gorgeous SACD of Christmas songs performed on acoustic guitars. Muro performs a selection embracing classical, secular and religious songs, the numbers as varied as ‘Silent Night’, Mel Tormé’s ‘The Christmas Song’ (aka ‘Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire’), Bach’s ‘Jesus Bleibet Meine Freude’, ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’, ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘White Christmas’. He’s accompanied by four guitars and acoustic bass on ‘Villancico De Navidad’. The recording is superb, as expected of Octave Records, and it’s so gentle that you can leave it on repeat during Xmas dinner. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention
Whisky A Go Go, 1968
Zappa Records/Universal ZR20045 (three CDs)

As legendary concerts go, this one transcends the artist’s fan base. By ’68, Zappa and Co were A-list performers and worshipped by their colleagues, while the venue itself was a fabled site. Imagine, then, a 5hr show originally intended for release but which has been mostly unheard unless you collected bootlegs. This stunning package, with an informative booklet and a cool interview with Alice Cooper, contains the whole gig, said to be the first time all three sets have been released. ‘Help I’m A Rock’, ‘King Kong’, ‘Plastic People’? Classic stuff. And sonically for a live recording in a jam-packed club? Truly exceptional. KK

Sound Quality: 90%

Rain
Tomorrow Never Comes
Grapefruit CRSEG149

Rain’s Beatles links – the group was managed by Brian Epstein and once boasted Apple artist Jackie Lomax – are enough to make this essential for hard-core Fab Four fans. The sub-title here, ‘The NYC Sessions 1967-1968’, tells you the era, via music so redolent of that time it’s almost synecdoche for pop/rock/psychedelia. The sublime songs beg that question: why were Rain not huge? The hooks and melodies recall both British and US influences, the group born of remnants of Liverpool band The Undertakers (which, too, should have achieved more) and two Yanks. For lovers of The Byrds, Quicksilver and the aforementioned Liverpudlians, it’s a joy. KK

Sound Quality: 85%

3 Mile Shout
Low Battery
Who Said That Records WST1001

If the production of this debut album, from a label with no apparent track record, is shockingly good, that’s because this guitar/bass/drums trio (all three named Richard) features a studio veteran who’s made the gamekeeper-turned-poacher move to the other side of the microphones. Drummer Richard Manwaring served time on the road or at the controls with Status Quo, Budgie, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, Human League, Talking Heads and others. His colleagues are veterans, too, so the blend of hard rock, funk, jazz and ballads is so polished that the hot grooves are instant. Best of all, bassist Hewlett’s lead vocals sound like Dr. John-meets-Root Boy Slim. KK

Sound Quality: 90%