Customer Reviews

Thriller!

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Thriller" is to my mind essential Cold Blood. I've been surviving for twenty-five years off a cassette tape dubbed from a very scratchy copy of the album, checking periodically to see if it would ever be reissued. Truly, I can't imagine what took so long. This is the perfect blend of jazz, blues, and funk, the best the '70s, or any decade, has to offer. Of course the essential track is the cover of Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." But the straight-ahead blues of "Feel So Bad" can't be beat. Neither can any other of the tracks for that matter. If you don't know Cold Blood, there's no better introduction than "Thriller." If you do know Cold Blood but don't know "Thriller," you need to buy this CD. Now.

All I can say is that if you like a dynamic horn section and a killer female vocalist you can't get much better than this. Don't even judge it by their other albums. This one stands alone as their best ever. Fantastic cover versions of wonderful songs. Put this on when you need a lift in your soul. I must confess that the audio level is a little bit low and the highs have just a bit of distortion on the cd but that may be from the state of the original masters. Nonetheless, the songs are still terrific.

Thriller is the 4th album in the Cold Blood catalog and it's finally been remastered! This album does indeed thrill. With their signature style of fusing jazz, blues and funk, the band is in a class of it's own. As always, Lydia Pense shines. The horn section is powerful as is the music and the performances. One of my all-time favorite cuts is "I'll Be Long Gone." Don't wait, complete your collection today.

THIS IS THE BEST EVER ALBUM EVER FROM THE BAND. I OWN MINT COPIES OF ALL THEIR ORIGINAL LP'S. THIS ONE BLOWS AWAY ALL CD VERSIONS.ITS QUIET AND VERY DYNAMIC WHEN PLAYED ON A QUALITY TURNTABLE MUSIC SYSTEM....DO YOURSELF A FAVOR. BUY A MUSIC HALL OR PROJECT BRAND TURNTABLE FOR ABOUT $300.00 OR SO AND SEEK OUT USED QUALITY LP'S FROM THE NET OR IF YOUR LUCKY TO FIND A LOCAL LP SHOP THAT SHARES YOU PASSION FOR GREAT SOUND....YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO THE LP THING, THEN BUY THE CD'S. NO OTHER JAZZ/BLUES/SOUL MUSIC BY ANYONE ELSE CAN TOUCH LYDIA AND COLD BLOOD NOW OR EVER!!!!!!

Man, after being outbid several times on EBay for the rare Japanese import copy, it's great to finally have a copy of this release on CD. From the opening interplay of guitar, keyboard and bass by Michael Sasaki, Raul Matute and Rod Ellicott (respectively) on "Baby I Love You" to the final thump on "Kissing My Love", this album thrills on all levels. This is their finest hour, and Cold Blood fans like myself have waited what seems ages for this! The sultry, smooth-as-silk version of "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", the funky blues of "Feel So Bad" (with a kick-ass brass arrangement), the jazzy "Live Your Dream" and down-home, folksy "Sleeping" and mellow "I'll Be Long Gone", this is perfection!
Don't sleep - get this one now!!!

Her gyrations on stage in the 70's got her this nic. She is still the greatest white R&B singer to ever grace the stage. She blew Janis out of the water with plain and simple technique and I cringe when that comparison is made. Janis had a different style and was loved for her screaming triads for the most part.With out a doubt the best album as a whole of the 5 I know of. Why? Because The Pointer Sisters sang back up for her on this album and the majority of the material is really GOOD. Her versions of Kissin My Love and Live Your Dreams are just killer. Shes my favorite of all time...beyond Aretha; all the new singers of today....that she towers over even today!! My singin hero. I am her hugest fan from oregon. I will say, her new version of Down to The Bone pales in comparison to the original version.

It took me less than five seconds to get my credit card out and order this classic. I have loved this album since its debut over three decades ago. This brings me back to their fantastic show in the early 70's at the Shaboo Inn in Willimantic, CT -- just breathtaking.

I really can't imagine what took so long, but thank you anyway to the remastering gods!!

This is one of my all time top ten faves. Defintely a desert island classic. Took so long to get released in the states, but worth the wait. Crank up "Feel So Bad" to hear those horns, and tell me you don't get goosebumps at that track's climax.

In 2006, the first five CB titles were issued in Japan in LP-replica mini-sleeve CD format on the Bomba label:

COLD BLOOD - BOMBA BOM24086
SISYPHUS - BOMBA BOM24087
FIRST TASTE OF SIN - BOMBA BOM24088
THRILLER - BOMBA BOM24091
LYDIA - BOMBA BOM24092

The audio mastering on those discs are all superior to their Collectables/domestic counterparts.

If you really love these CB albums, get the Japanese releases before they are sold out, as all mini-sleeve CD's are limited edition.

They are certainly more expensive than the domestic CB titles, but are definitely worth the price.

Link to the Japanese remaster.

WHAT IS A JAPAN "MINI-LP-SLEEVE" CD?

Have you ever lamented the loss of one of the 20th Century's great art forms, the 12" vinyl LP jacket? Then "mini-LP-sleeve" CD's may be for you.

Mini-sleeve CDs are manufactured in Japan under license. The disc is packaged inside a 135MM X 135MM cardboard precision-miniature replica of the original classic vinyl-LP album. Also, anything contained in the original LP, such as gatefolds, booklets, lyric sheets, posters, printed LP sleeves, stickers, embosses, special LP cover paper/inks/textures and/or die cuts, are precisely replicated and included. An English-language lyric sheet is always included, even if the original LP did not have printed lyrics.

Then, there's the sonic quality: Often (but not always), mini-sleeves have dedicated remastering (20-Bit, 24-Bit, DSD, K2/K2HD, and/or HDCD), and can often (but not always) be superior to the audio on the same title anywhere else in the world. There also may be bonus tracks unavailable elsewhere.

Each Japan mini-sleeve has an "obi" ("oh-bee"), a removable Japan-language promotional strip. The obi lists the Japan street date of that particular release, the catalog number, the mastering info, and often the original album's release date. Bonus tracks are only listed on the obi, maintaining the integrity of the original LP artwork. The obi's are collectable, and should not be discarded.

All mini-sleeve releases are limited edition, but re-pressings/re-issues are becoming more common (again, not always). The enthusiasm of mini-sleeve collecting must be tempered, however, with avoiding fake mini-sleeves manufactured in Russia and distributed throughout the world, primarily on eBay. They are inferior in quality, worthless in collectable value, a total waste of money, and should be avoided at all costs.

So, I'm telling my friend all about this great collaboration between Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks and how great this band sounds and how they have a great horn section and how Susan belts out these songs and he says to me, "Uh-hunh. She's good. But she's no Lydia Pense." "Who?" "You've never heard of Cold Blood?" I thought about it. Maybe I had. But the name of that band never sounded like anything I'd want to hear... Uh, Susan? If you're out there somewhere, screening reviews on Amazon, my friend is right. You should study Lydia. She rocks! (Bonnie Raitt was clearly listening to Lydia.) This is by far their finest album and a perfect place to start discovering a band and an artist who deserved far more. My favorite cut here is "Feel So Bad." Allman Brothers fans may remember this one. Lydia's version blows them away! Boz Scaggs fans will dig this version of "I'll be long Gone." This music is timeless.