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... But Seriously (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Originally released in December 1989, ...BUT SERIOUSLY features many of Phil Collins' biggest hits and was one of its era's biggest selling albums, spending four weeks atop the Billboard 200 and scoring #1 chart positions all over the globe. In the performer's native UK, it spent a total of 15 weeks at #1 during an extended run of almost a year in the Top 10, en route to becoming the biggest-selling album of 1990. The album campaign culminated with his fourth and fifth BRIT Awards for British Single ("Another Day in Paradise") and British Male. The 2-CD version of the multi-platinum set includes a bonus disc of demos, live recordings and related B-sides compiled by Collins himself to show how his songs have evolved over time. We'll give ...BUT SERIOUSLY (DELUXE EDITION) a spin now to wish Phil a happy birthday.
End of the Century (Album of the Day)
The Ramones always had one foot in the future and one in the past. Even as the Queens quartet was rewriting the rock rulebook with its blitzkrieg bop, the band regularly revisited such golden oldies as “Let's Dance” and “Needles And Pins.” For the album END OF THE CENTURY – released twenty years ahead of the new millennium – the Ramones tapped the legendary Phil Spector to produce, and the collection includes a cover of the '60s hitmaker's “Baby I Love You,” as well as the propulsive “Do You Remember Rock 'N' Roll Radio?” and a version of “Rock 'N' Roll High School.” The highest-charting album of the band's career, END OF THE CENTURY celebrates its 40th anniversary this week and captures Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Marky in top form.
Patches (Album of the Day)
Few artists carried the torch for '60s soul into the following decade more effectively than Clarence Carter. The Alabama-born singer had his biggest hit in 1970 with “Patches,” a tale of perseverance through poverty that earned a Best R&B Song Grammy and still resonates a half-century later. Carter's fourth album drew its name from the track, and though that Top 10 single may be the most recognizable thing on the Atlantic collection, it's far from the only highlight. Minor hit “It's All in Your Mind,” a gospel-tinged version of The Beatles' “Let It Be” and original “C.C. Blues” speak to the performer's versatility, and Carter's guitar work is as appealing as his vocals. With outstanding examples of several R&B styles, PATCHES is a great way to kick off Black History Month.
Sweet Baby James (Album of the Day)
The rise of singer-songwriters in the early 1970s produced some of that decade's greatest music, and among the movement's defining albums is James Taylor's SWEET BABY JAMES. The 1970 Warner Bros. collection may not have been the performer's first, but it arrived as a breath of fresh air to listeners eager for something simple, intimate and honest. Except for a take on Stephen Foster's “Oh, Susanna,” all 11 songs are originals, and over the years several have attained classic status including “Sunny Skies,” “Country Road,” the title track and the hit “Fire And Rain,” which reached #3 on the chart (as did the album). Taylor's resonant lyrics are paired with sympathetic backing from the likes of Carole King, guitarist Danny Kortchmar and future Eagle Randy Meisner, ensuring that the Grammy-nominated SWEET BABY JAMES still sounds sweet 50 years after its release.
Live (Album of the Day)
A singer, songwriter, keyboardist and arranger, Donny Hathaway was among the most gifted figures in 1970s R&B, even if he was sometimes overshadowed by Roberta Flack, a fellow Howard University alumnus and frequent duet partner. With one side recorded at L.A.'s Troubadour club and the other at New York's The Bitter End, LIVE is the ideal showcase for Hathaway's many talents. The 1972 Atlantic collection shows him with a top-flight soul-jazz band working the crowds masterfully on original songs (“The Ghetto,” “We're Still Friends”) and revelatory covers (Marvin Gaye's “What's Going On,” John Lennon's “Jealous Guy”). Donny Hathaway was just 33 when he died, but the inviting performances on LIVE are enough to ensure that he'll be remembered for decades to come.
By the Way (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
“Writing BY THE WAY ... was a whole different experience from CALIFORNICATION. John was back to himself and brimming with confidence,” noted Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis of the band's first album of the new millennium. Guitarist John Frusciante helps take the group in a new direction on the Warner Bros. set, with melodic writing and playing that drew from The Beach Boy, doo wop and ELP, among other influences. And while the Julian Schnabel cover design further underlines the 2002 collection's artistic ambitions, this is still a Chili Peppers album, with Rick Rubin's focused production, Kiedis' candid reflections on love and substance abuse and the bedrock rhythms of bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith. With such singles as “The Zephyr Song,” “Can't Stop” and the title track, BY THE WAY reached Billboard's Top 10, and the Deluxe Edition of the double-platinum album adds bonus tracks “Runaway” and “Bicycle Song.”
Unspeakable (Album of the Day)
Among the most respected jazz guitarists working today, Bill Frisell has recorded nearly an album a year since emerging as a performer in the early 1980s, most for the eclectic Nonesuch imprint. Released 15 years ago this weekend, UNSPEAKABLE is among the best of his recordings for the label, and perfectly showcases the axeman's inclusive approach to genre. Produced by Hal Willner, the collection adds soul and hip-hop elements to the sonic palette, and its string arrangements, funky grooves and samples inspire some of Frisell's most intense and inventive playing (check out his solo on “Old Sugar Bear”). A Grammy winner for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, UNSPEAKABLE is highly recommended for any set of adventurous ears.
Seal [1994] (Album of the Day)
Born in England to Nigerian and Brazilian parents, Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel would find fame more simply as Seal. As his eponymous Sire debut was a hit, the soul singer risked a bit of confusion by titling his 1994 follow-up SEAL as well (it's sometimes called “SEAL II”), but that collection proved an even bigger smash. Benefiting from lush production by Trevor Horn, the album features 11 heartfelt songs written or co-written by Seal, including “Prayer For The Dying,” “Don't Cry” and “Kiss From A Rose,” a track released to modest success until its inclusion in the Batman Forever soundtrack, after which it topped the U.S. singles chart (on this day in 1995) and won Grammy Awards for Record and Song of the Year. With guest artists like Joni Mitchell and Jeff Beck helping frame Seal's superb vocals, this 1994 album stands as the singer's finest hour.
Vanilla Fudge (Album of the Day)
In an era of Strawberry Alarm Clocks and Chocolate Watchbands, Vanilla Fudge stood out as one of the heaviest rock bands, paving the way for such groups as Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. Deriving their name from an earlier affinity for white soul, Vanilla Fudge made their self-titled 1967 debut on Atco Records, serving up psychedelicized covers of recent songs by the likes of The Beatles (“Eleanor Rigby”) and The Supremes (“You Keep Me Hangin' On”), the latter reaching the Top Ten. If the stretched out tempos, thundering rhythms and Hammond organ work make this set seem a bit like an oldies station on acid, the musicianship is top-notch throughout (bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice both went on to play with Jeff Beck). The gold-certified VANILLA FUDGE is a piece of rock history that still sounds sweet, and we'll play it again to wish Bogert a happy 75th birthday.
Part 3…And More (Album of the Day)
The rainbow on the cover of KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND PART 3 led to a pot of gold for Harry Wayne “KC” Casey and company. The TK collection spun off No.1 hits “(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty” - which topped the chart on this day in 1976 - and “I'm Your Boogie Man,” and “Keep It Comin' Love” just missed the top slot (two additional singles also charted). Disco records rarely get better than this one, and that's no backhanded compliment – funky grooves abound, the instrumental work is spot-on, and KC's exuberance will win any listener over. Rhino's expanded edition KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND PART 3 … AND MORE adds eight bonus tracks including some outstanding solo sides that show the sun kept shining on KC into the 1980s.