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A Ghost is Born (Album of the Day)
Following a highly publicized parting of the ways from Reprise Records after YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT, Wilco landed on Nonesuch for A GHOST IS BORN, released 15 years ago this weekend. The 2004 collection features some of the dissonance and anguished vocals of its predecessor while still reflecting an eagerness to break new ground - the one constant in the band's history. With the departure of Jay Bennett, frontman Jeff Tweedy takes over lead guitar duties and strikes a Neil Young-like balance between raging electricity and haunting intimacy, aided and abetted by Sonic Youth collaborator Jim O'Rourke. “Handshake Drugs,” “Company in My Back” and “The Late Greats” are among the many highlights here, and A GHOST IS BORN was a Top 10 hit that earned Wilco its first Grammy (for Best Alternative Music Album).
Movement (Definitive Edition) (Album of the Day)
Out of the ashes of Joy Division, the remaining members decided to carry on recording under the name of New Order; the band's debut album was MOVEMENT. Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris and Peter Hook's former group is echoed throughout the 1981 collection, which was helmed by Joy Division producer Martin Hannett and includes references to that group's fallen frontman, Ian Curtis. But true to its name, MOVEMENT also displays progression, with new recruit Gillian Gilbert and a funkier guitar sound (“Senses”) and electronic percussion (“Truth”) hinting at dance and synth-pop glories to come. The new Definitive Edition of the seminal set includes the original album on vinyl and CD, a bonus disc of previously unreleased tracks, a DVD of live shows and TV appearances and a hardback book.
Disintegration (Album of the Day)
Over the course of the 1980s, British alternative rockers The Cure rose to become a commercial juggernaut, an ascent capped by DISINTEGRATION. The growing adulation left leader Robert Smith uneasy, and that despair can be heard throughout the record, but if his intent was to turn away from pop success, it didn't work. Singles “Fascination Street,” “Lovesong” and “Pictures of You” were irresistible, and the collection sold more than three million copies worldwide to become the band's commercial high-water mark. Released 30 years ago today, DISINTEGRATION is also among The Cure's most acclaimed, with such outlets as Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Entertainment Weekly citing it as one of its decade's best albums.
In My Life (Album of the Day)
Judy Collins’ crystalline vocals have been delighting listeners for more than half a century since she emerged as one of the queens of the ‘60s folk scene. Collins helped establish Elektra Records as a leading exponent of that style, and IN MY LIFE, her sixth album for the label, helped redefine what folk could be. Judy had classical training, and tapped arranger/conductor Joshua Rifkin to craft orchestral and chamber pop settings for a diverse set ranging from the traditional - Richard Farina's “Hard Lovin' Loser” would become her first charting single - to then-new songs like Leonard Cohen's “Suzanne” and the Beatles title track. IN MY LIFE remains one of Judy Collins' very best, and we can't think of a better way to celebrate the singer's 80th birthday than by giving it another spin...
Shotgun Willie (Album of the Day)
After RCA threw their hands up with him, Willie Nelson headed to Austin, TX, grew his hair out and started to make music far removed from the constraints of the Nashville hitmaking machinery. The album that emerged, 1973's SHOTGUN WILLIE, was one of the opening salvos in the outlaw country movement, broadening the traditions of Hank Williams and Lefty Frizell to include singer-songwriter individuality. Nelson proves an engaging storyteller on originals like the title track, and he makes covers of songs like “Whiskey River” and “Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer)” definitive with his masterful phrasing. Finding common ground between hillbillies and hippies, SHOTGUN WILLIE is expertly played, touched with humor and filled with inventive stylistic turns. Willie Nelson celebrates a birthday today, and we'll fire off a salute to the legendary performer with this breakthrough album!
Keep On Keeping On: Curtis Mayfield Studio Albums 1970-1974 (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1942, Curtis Mayfield recorded a string of hits with The Impressions before leaving the influential soul-gospel group to embark upon a solo career that began 50 years ago and produced some of his greatest work. Known as the "Gentle Genius," Mayfield has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice - first as a member of The Impressions and later as a solo artist. Rhino spotlights the singer-songwriter's early solo career with KEEP ON KEEPING ON: CURTIS MAYFIELD STUDIO ALBUMS 1970-1974. The four-disc collection includes newly remastered versions of Mayfield's first four studio albums: CURTIS (1970), ROOTS (1971), BACK TO THE WORLD (1973) and SWEET EXORCIST (1974) – and exclusively for orders placed via Rhino.com, a limited edition 12x12 print.
Other Sides (Album of the Day)
Building on the recent deluxe editions of his acclaimed solo studio albums, Phil Collins' OTHER SIDES features B-sides from throughout the performer's career that were not previously included in any of those album reissues. Now available, the digital-only compilation features 18 tracks that were released as B-sides between 1981 and 2003, all of which make their digital debut. Throughout his career, Collins frequently released his demo recordings as B-sides and several appear here, including one for signature song “In The Air Tonight” and an early version of the Grammy-winning #1 hit “Another Day In Paradise.” OTHER SIDES also includes: “Big Noise (Instrumental)” from the 1988 single “Groovy Kind Of Love”; “Don't Call Me Ashley” from the 1994 single “Everyday”; and a cover of the Motown classic “Tears Of A Clown” from Collins' 2003 single “Wake Up.”
Behaviour: Further Listening 1990-1991 (Album of the Day)
BEHAVIOUR was Pet Shop Boys' fourth studio album, recorded mostly in Munich, Germany at co-producer Harold Faltermeyer's studio. The album was then completed at London's Sarm West Studios, and was released in October 1990, hitting number 2 on the album chart in the U.K. and eventually earning platinum certification there. The set is seen as one of PSB's most contemplative and moving records, and features the singles “So Hard,” “How Can You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?” and their classic track “Being Boring.” The BEHAVIOUR: FURTHER LISTENING 1990-1991 reissue adds a disc of bonus material including an extended mix of “Where The Streets Have No Name (I Can't Take My Eyes Off You)” and an ambient mix of “Music For Boys” - both previously unreleased on CD – and the collection is the perfect way to celebrate Pride 2019.
Much Les (Album of the Day)
Les McCann was among the most successful artists blending jazz and soul music at the end of the 1960s, and MUCH LES, released 50 years ago this month, captures the singer-pianist in peak form. Cut with bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Donald Dean, these half-dozen tracks include both strong originals (“Benjamin”) and distinctive covers (Cole Porter's “Love For Sale” and a beautiful reading of “With These Hands,” the set's sole vocal number). Atlantic Records' Joel Dorn handles production chores here, utilizing tasteful string arrangements and Latin percussion to accent the core trio's inviting grooves. Allmusic calls MUCH LES “one of Les McCann's greatest albums,” and we're in total agreement.
Dirty Mind (Album of the Day)
Puritanical is an adjective you’ll never see used to describe Prince Rogers Nelson, born on this day in 1958. While sex has been a popular subject since the beginning of rock ‘n’ roll (itself a sexual euphemism), it’s often merely a tease in the hands of artists less talented than Prince, whose 1980 album DIRTY MIND brought the singer widespread critical acclaim. If the lyrics to “Do It All Night,” “Head” and the title track leave little to the imagination, the funk, new wave and rock settings will get your blood pumping just as quickly. RIAA-certified Gold and still frequently cited as among the decade’s best, DIRTY MIND is the first truly great album from one of popular music’s most fertile minds.