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The Cars (Album of the Day)
A well-oiled hitmaking machine if ever there was one, The Cars worked their way up through Boston clubs but kept their ears open to music on rock's fringes. With one foot in the mainstream and one in new wave, the quintet (frontman Ric Ocasek, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes, bassist Ben Orr and drummer Dave Robinson) delivered such high-powered singles as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend's Girl” and “Good Times Roll,” driving their eponymous 1978 album to multi-platinum status. One of the all-time great debuts, THE CARS sounds just as exciting 40 years after its release, and we'll take it out for another spin now in honor of #nationalcarsday.
Ritual De Lo Habitual (Album of the Day)
No less an authority than Alice Cooper declared Jane’s Addiction's RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL “their peak album, where they really went out on a limb,” and it's tough to argue with the rock legend on this point. The second and final studio set from the L.A. quartet's original incarnation spans alt-rock ragers (“Stop”), mainstream rock hits (“Been Caught Stealing”) and haunting ballads (“Classic Girl”) as well as progressive epics (“Then She Did”). Frontman Perry Farrell and axeman Dave Navarro play every song as if it might be their last, and today we'll cue up the double-platinum RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL to celebrate the guitarist's birthday.
SONG OF THE DAY - World In Motion (Album of the Day)
“This should be the last straw for Joy Division fans,” said New Order singer Bernard Sumner of “World In Motion,” the band's improbable 1990 hit. It's hard to imagine anything further from the quartet's post-punk roots than this football anthem, written to support England's team in its World Cup bid, but the song's success underlines New Order's skill and versatility. Co-written with comedian Keith Allen, the track frames an anti-hooligan message (and a rap by athlete John Barnes) with buoyant alternative rock based on a BBC theme penned by the band's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert. “World In Motion” became New Order's sole U.K. No.1 single, and as the FIFA World Cup kicks off again, it's our song of the day.
The Shape of Jazz to Come (Album of the Day)
THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME may have seemed a bold title for Ornette Coleman's Atlantic Records debut, but the music on the 1959 collection absolutely justifies it. With an emphasis on melody and improvisation over chords and harmony (Coleman called his approach “harmolodic”), these six originals introduce the standard “Lonely Woman,” and offer the quartet – which includes future stars Don Cherry on cornet and Charlie Haden on bass - plenty of room to strut their instrumental stuff. A cornerstone of the free jazz movement, the album was initially controversial, but its landmark status is now unquestioned, and it has been named to both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Ornette Coleman passed away on this day in 2015 and we'll remember the pioneering performer with THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME.
She's the One (Album of the Day)
When asked for a song to include in writer-director Edward Burns' romantic comedy She's The One, Tom Petty responded with an entire album. Though nominally a film soundtrack, the Warner Bros. collection stands proudly with the singer-songwriter's best work of the 1990s. Cut with producer Rick Rubin and the ever-reliable Heartbreakers, SONGS AND MUSIC FROM “SHE'S THE ONE” has a relaxed feel and eclectic mix of material (including Beck and Lucinda Williams covers) that give the impression Petty was really enjoying himself. Which doesn't mean his customary craftsmanship is absent; the dozen originals include such terrific songs as “Climb That Hill” and single “Walls (Circus),” which features guest vocals from Lindsey Buckingham. Released today in 1996, SHE'S THE ONE is well worth rediscovering.
World Clique (Album of the Day)
Vocalist Lady Miss Kier joined forces with Russian-born DJ Dmitry and Japanese techno specialist Towa Tei thirty years ago to form one of dance music's most colorful trios, Deee-Lite. The New York-based group was also among the style's most successful; after signing with Elektra, their debut WORLD CLIQUE climbed charts on both sides of the Atlantic and was soon an R.I.A.A.-certified Gold album. Singles “Power of Love,” “Good Beat” and “E.S.P.” kept feet moving in clubs around the globe, while “Groove Is in the Heart” reached the U.S. Top 10 and earned a slew of MTV Award nominations. A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Bootsy Collins both guest on that crossover smash, and James Brown band mainstays Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley also appear on the collection. Smart, fun and funky, WORLD CLIQUE was released on this day in 1990, and remains a sure-fire party starter.
SONG OF THE DAY - "Feel Like Makin' Love" (Album of the Day)
With a foot in both the '70s soul and singer-songwriter camps, Roberta Flack was among the decade's most popular and distinctive artists, and in 1974 “Feel Like Makin' Love” became the performer's third No.1 hit in as many years. Penned by Eugene McDaniels and produced by Flack under the pseudonym Rubina Flake, the Atlantic single became the title track of Roberta's fifth solo album and earned three Grammy nominations (Record of the Year among them) as well as an R.I.A.A. Gold sales certification. The romantic ballad has been covered numerous times, by artists including D'Angelo and George Benson, but Flack's simmering original remains definitive, and it's our Song of the Day.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Album of the Day)
After a grueling world tour behind VOL. 4 and a month of fruitless sessions at Los Angeles' Record Plant, Black Sabbath decamped to Clearwell Castle in Gloucestershire, England, to work on their fifth album. With its dungeon and resident ghosts, the place was just what the band needed, and SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH brims with inspiration. “We'd managed to strike just the right balance between our old heaviness and our new, 'experimental' side,” noted frontman Ozzy Osbourne of the 1973 set, which features such classic originals as “Killing Yourself to Live” and the title track while successfully incorporating orchestration and synthesizers (Yes' Rick Wakeman guests on “Sabbra Cadabra”). The last great album by the original quartet, the platinum-selling SABBATH BLOODY SABBATH belongs in any heavy metal collection.
Anutha Zone (Album of the Day)
New Orleans' musical traditions run deep, and few are more steeped in them than Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John. His ability to make the traditional sound contemporary dates back to the bayou psychedelia of his debut, and is strongly evident on ANUTHA ZONE. Half the 1998 collection was recorded in New York with the performer's regular touring band, but half was cut in London with leading U.K. alternative rockers including Paul Weller, Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and members of Supergrass, Primal Scream and Portishead. The combination works remarkably well; “John Gris,” “Sweet Home New Orleans,” “Party Hellfire” and others invoke the Night Tripper voodoo that made these Brits fans in the first place. Released 20 years ago this week, ANUTHA ZONE was a striking comeback for Dr. John, and still transports listeners to spooky twilight zones.
Star Walk (Album of the Day)
The bass is at the bedrock of funk, and Larry Graham is one of the instrument's greatest masters. After cutting several seminal albums with his cousin Sly Stone's band, Graham formed his own group and signed with Warner Bros. The final WB collection from Graham Central Station, STAR WALK, was released in 1979, and is a tour de force of R&B. Of course there's the gutbucket funk of such tracks as "(You're A) Foxy Lady," "Scream" and "The Entertainer," led by Larry's justly famous slap-bass work. But there's also the soul ballad “Tonight” (hinting at the Top 10 success of Graham's “One in a Million You” the following year) and a convincing stab at Eurodisco in the title track. Larry Graham was born on this day in 1946, and we'll wish him a happy birthday with STAR WALK.