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1984 (Album of the Day)
Most bands who'd experienced the success that Van Halen had wouldn't mess with the formula; fortunately the L.A. quartet wasn't like most bands. “Eddie Van Halen discovered the synthesizer” was how producer Ted Templeman explained the remarkable success of 1984, released 35 years ago today. While the Warner Bros. collection doesn't skimp on the group's trademark hard rock (“Panama," “Hot for Teacher”), the keyboard-driven “Jump” and “I'll Wait” are just as exhilarating. The former was Van Halen's first No.1 hit single, and the good-time anthem will still make you jump for joy when singer David Lee Roth takes his place against the record machine for the chorus. The final album by the original foursome, 1984 was also one of Van Halen's biggest hits, selling more than 10 million copies in the U.S alone.
Human [Expanded Edition] (Album of the Day)
Rod Stewart started the new millennium on a new label, Atlantic, with his nineteenth studio album, HUMAN. Fittingly, the 2001 collection shows the performer trying on new styles, in this case contemporary R&B and dance music. Working with a team of producers, Stewart sourced 11 fine songs including “Run Back Into Your Arms,” the Adult Contemporary charting “I Can't Deny It” and "Don't Come Around Here." The last of these features Helicopter Girl as a duet partner; elsewhere Rod recruits guitarists Slash, Mark Knopfler and Jesse Johnson to lend their talents to the cause. The Expanded Edition of HUMAN adds five bonus tracks including a version of Prince's “Peach”; we'll give the album a spin now to wish Rod Stewart a happy birthday.
Misguided Roses (Album of the Day)
Charleston-born singer-songwriter-guitarist Edwin McCain came up through the South Carolina rock scene on the heels of Hootie and the Blowfish, eventually joining that band on Atlantic Records in 1995. McCain's take on soulful rock was a little more muscular but no less appealing than Hootie's, as demonstrated by the success of MISGUIDED ROSES two years later. Co-produced by alternative hitmaker Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul), the collection reflects the performer's growing confidence as a vocalist and writer – except for a James Taylor cover, all the dozen songs here are original. Among the highlights are “Holy City” (one of two tracks featuring guest Michael McDonald) and “I'll Be,” a Top 10 hit that popped up in soundtracks for years afterward, and MISGUIDED ROSES remains a fan favorite for good reason.
Live At The Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance (Album of the Day)
On July 21, 1969 The Doors played two concerts to packed audiences at the Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The shows were recorded but only one song from the opening set saw release on ABSOLUTELY LIVE; fans had to wait more than three decades to hear the whole thing on LIVE AT THE AQUARIUS – THE FIRST PERFORMANCE. In the aftermath of the notorious Miami bust, Jim Morrison and company tread cautiously at first but that doesn't last long - after such early favorites as “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” and “Soul Kitchen,” the group launches into powerhouse versions of then-new songs including “Build Me A Woman.” With plenty of encouragement from the hometown crowd, LIVE AT THE AQUARIUS captures the legendary band on a great night, and we'll bring it back for an encore to wish Doors guitarist Robby Krieger a happy birthday.
Southern Nights (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1938, Allen Toussaint was one of the guiding lights of New Orleans music; as an arranger, producer or songwriter, he helped craft hits for Lee Dorsey, LaBelle, the Pointer Sisters and many others. But Toussaint also cut several albums of his own, and SOUTHERN NIGHTS is among his very best. The 1975 Reprise collection paints portraits of Louisiana life linked with interstitial instrumentals, giving the set a concept album feel, and trippy production touches bring out the surreal magic of the swamp. An ace backing band (including members of funk greats the Meters) really delivers the goods on such gems as the title track and “What Do You Want the Girl to Do?” - later covered by Glen Campbell and Boz Scaggs, respectively. Allen Toussaint's name may not be as famous as theirs, but the magnificent SOUTHERN NIGHTS ensures him a place in the '70s R&B pantheon.
Bags & Trane (Album of the Day)
As vibraphonist for the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson represented a more traditional approach to jazz than did John Coltrane at the beginning of the 1960s – the latter's “sheets of sound” approach placed the tenor saxophonist closer to the avant-garde. Yet somehow the pair's Atlantic album BAGS & TRANE was a match made in heaven. Recorded 60 years ago today, this outstanding collaboration was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and engineered by Tom Dowd; its five tracks were supplemented by three bonus cuts in the digital era. MJQ drummer Connie Kay, bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Hank Jones provide remarkably sympathetic support on BAGS & TRANE, and the playing on such tracks as “Stairway To The Stars” is among the most evocative of Coltrane's career.
Electronic (Album of the Day)
British indie supergroup Electronic combined the talents of New Order singer Bernard Sumner and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, a partnership that produced three albums, of which 1991's self-titled debut is a particular delight. The Warner Bros. collection strikes a neat balance between danceable synth-pop and guitar-driven alternative rock, and the spirit of musical adventure in the air in late-'80s Manchester can be heard throughout this set. Highlights include U.K. Top 10 hit “Get the Message,” “Feel Every Beat” and “Getting Away with It,” one of two tracks featuring Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant on guest vocals. Much more than just a side project, ELECTRONIC drew rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and sold more than a million copies worldwide.
Soul '69 (Album of the Day)
The consistent quality of SOUL '69 offers further evidence that Aretha Franklin could do no wrong in a recording studio as the 1960s drew to a close. Produced by Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler, the Atlantic collection may be all covers, but Franklin's impassioned vocal and piano work gets inside these 12 songs and makes each of them her own. The eclectic mix of material - from “Gentle on My Mind” and “Elusive Butterfly” to “Tracks of My Tears” and “Today I Sing the Blues” - ranges far beyond standard issue soul, and so do the arrangements, which lean toward jazz thanks to the presence of such top players as Joe Zawinul, David Newman and Kenny Burrell. Released 50 years ago today, SOUL '69 showcases a genius beyond category.
Skid Row (Album of the Day)
Though they came of age at the height of the glam metal era, Skid Row took a much grittier approach to the music, and that made all the difference. From Sebastian Bach's take-no-prisoners vocals to the dual guitar attack of Scotti Hill and Dave Sabo, the New Jersey quintet's self-titled 1989 debut features plenty of bite while remaining radio-friendly. The Atlantic collection's "Youth Gone Wild" cracked the Top 100, setting the stage for power ballads “18 and Life” and “I Remember You” to reach the Top 10. Because the band had honed its songs on the road for a year before hitting the studio, there are several other great originals here beyond the three MTV Headbanger's Ball favorites, and SKID ROW deservedly went multi-Platinum.
Legacy (Album of the Day)
The Eagles created an indelible musical legacy over an extraordinary career that spans more than 40 years and includes six number one albums, more than a dozen Top 40 hits and six Grammy Awards. The new LEGACY brings together all the music that made the Eagles one of the best-selling bands in music history in one extraordinary collection. The 12-CD boxed set includes all seven of the band's studio albums, three live albums and a compilation of singles and b-sides, housed in a handsome slipcase and accompanied by a 54-page hardbound book filled with rare photos, memorabilia and artwork. Encompassing the band's entire career, LEGACY follows the Eagles' flight from the country-rock of early albums like DESPERADO and the superstar success of HOTEL CALIFORNIA to the band's 1994 reunion HELL FREEZES OVER and its most-recent studio album, 2005's LONG ROAD OUT OF EDEN.