Ben Harper - By My Side (2012/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time - 45:11 minutes | 1,01 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Front cover
"By My Side" is a twelve song retrospective of unforgettable ballads by genre-bending, Grammy-winning musician and songwriter, Ben Harper. Featuring songs personally selected by Harper, includes classics like "Forever", "Diamonds On The Inside" and "Waiting On An Angel". The album also introduces a brand new recording called "Crazy Amazing" as well as a never-before-released studio version of "Not Fire Not Ice". This is Ben Harper's first-ever career-spanning compilation.
The problem with many retrospectives is that they usually place an artist's best-known and/or best-selling songs in a sequence that can defy context. The end result can be a rather jagged listening experience. Ben Harper's By My Side seems to address that issue by looking at it directly. Instead of simply letting his label choose a slew of tracks and call it a "hits" or "best-of" collection, Harper handpicked a dozen cuts, and focused on a particular aspect of his work: ballads. In addition to ten standard-bearers from his catalog, he also chose an alternate studio version of "Not Fire Not Ice," which sounds like a nicely recorded demo (and was never available in the United States before), and provided a single new cut, a sparse, sexy, soulful number called "Crazy Amazing" with his Relentless7 bandmates. The remaining tracks are canny choices: the vast majority of them would be the very cuts his fans would choose for such a collection. They span his entire career beginning with "Forever," from Welcome to the Cruel World. Also included from that recording is "Waiting on an Angel" near the end of this set. The two tracks chosen from Fight for Your Mind are the title track, of course, and "Gold to Me." The title track to Diamonds on the Inside is also here. Among the other selections are "Morning Yearning" from Lifeline (with the Innocent Criminals), "Beloved One" from Burn to Shine, and "Happy Everafter in Your Eyes" from Both Sides of the Gun. Taking in Harper's ballads without the rockist guitar pyrotechnics is solid not only in conception but in execution. While there's no doubt that fans have most of these tracks already, listening to By My Side's presentation of them as a resonant sampling of a particular area in the larger context of his work adds both depth and dimension to Harper's reputation, not only as a songwriter but as a singer as well.
Tracklist:
01 - Forever
02 - By My Side
03 - Gold To Me
04 - Diamonds On The Inside
05 - In The Colors
06 - Beloved One
07 - Not Fire Not Ice
08 - Morning Yearning
09 - Feel Love
10 - Happy Everafter In Your Eyes
11 - Waiting On An Angel
12 - Crazy Amazing
Analyzed: Ben Harper / By My Side
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR10 -0.20 dB -12.40 dB 3:25 01-Forever
DR9 -0.20 dB -10.99 dB 3:35 02-By My Side
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.17 dB 4:59 03-Gold To Me
DR7 -0.10 dB -7.93 dB 4:25 04-Diamonds On The Inside
DR8 -0.20 dB -9.80 dB 3:01 05-In The Colors
DR12 -0.60 dB -15.69 dB 3:59 06-Beloved One
DR12 -1.20 dB -15.75 dB 3:40 07-Not Fire Not Ice
DR9 -0.60 dB -11.52 dB 4:04 08-Morning Yearning
DR8 -0.20 dB -9.77 dB 3:44 09-Feel Love
DR11 -0.20 dB -13.58 dB 2:25 10-Happy Everafter In Your Eyes
DR12 -0.28 dB -14.59 dB 3:54 11-Waiting On An Angel
DR9 -0.20 dB -11.45 dB 3:59 12-Crazy Amazing
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR10
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2848 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR Peak RMS Duration Track
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DR10 -0.20 dB -12.40 dB 3:25 01-Forever
DR9 -0.20 dB -10.99 dB 3:35 02-By My Side
DR8 -0.20 dB -10.17 dB 4:59 03-Gold To Me
DR7 -0.10 dB -7.93 dB 4:25 04-Diamonds On The Inside
DR8 -0.20 dB -9.80 dB 3:01 05-In The Colors
DR12 -0.60 dB -15.69 dB 3:59 06-Beloved One
DR12 -1.20 dB -15.75 dB 3:40 07-Not Fire Not Ice
DR9 -0.60 dB -11.52 dB 4:04 08-Morning Yearning
DR8 -0.20 dB -9.77 dB 3:44 09-Feel Love
DR11 -0.20 dB -13.58 dB 2:25 10-Happy Everafter In Your Eyes
DR12 -0.28 dB -14.59 dB 3:54 11-Waiting On An Angel
DR9 -0.20 dB -11.45 dB 3:59 12-Crazy Amazing
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Number of tracks: 12
Official DR value: DR10
Samplerate: 96000 Hz
Channels: 2
Bits per sample: 24
Bitrate: 2848 kbps
Codec: FLAC
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Thanks to the Original customer!