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Deja Vu (Album of the Day)
The first album from David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash set a remarkable standard both for artistic quality and commercial success, and expectations for a follow-up were high. Released 50 years ago today, DÉJÀ VU did not disappoint. The group upped the ante with the addition of Neil Young to the line-up; with four strong songwriters and a pair of fiery guitarists now in the fold, sparks flew. “Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Woodstock” each became Top 40 hits, but tracks like Young’s “Helpless,” Crosby’s “Almost Cut My Hair” and the Stills-Young-penned “Everybody I Love You” are equally distinctive. The product of hundreds of hours in the studio, the multi-platinum DÉJÀ VU boasts marvelously eclectic arrangements and immaculate harmonies, and has been cited by the likes of Rolling Stone and VH1 as one of the greatest albums of all time.
Carly Simon (Album of the Day)
Carly Simon had cut a couple of albums with her sister Lucy before Elektra's Jac Holzman signed her to his label for this eponymous 1971 solo release. Jimi Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer may seem an odd choice to helm a singer-songwriter collection, but the combination works, with folk-rock and string arrangements framing Carly's voice beautifully. The material is also remarkably assured, offering nuanced looks at the ebb and flow of relationships highlighted by “That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be,” which became Simon's first Top 10 hit and helped earn the performer a Best New Artist Grammy. Intimate and insightful, it's easy to see why CARLY SIMON holds a special place in the hearts of fans.
The Ugly One With the Jewels and Other Stories (Album of the Day)
While she may be thought of as an avant-garde performance artist, Laurie Anderson also has a knack for narrative that comes to the fore on THE UGLY ONE WITH THE JEWELS AND OTHER STORIES. Released 25 years ago this month, Laurie's final album for Warner Bros. was recorded live in London during a presentation of her Stories from the Nerve Bible, and consists of 18 spoken-word vignettes, most with a touch of instrumental accompaniment. Occasionally autobiographical (the title is how she once heard herself described), these brief, beguiling tales of plane trips, Ouija boards, salesmen, stranglers and ambassadors are by turns humorous and haunting, and Anderson's distinctive delivery gives them an otherworldly air. If you're a fan of such off-beat storytellers as David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell, you'll treasure THE UGLY ONE WITH THE JEWELS.
Out of the Cellar (Album of the Day)
Ratt's Atlantic debut OUT OF THE CELLAR was actually the L.A. glam metal band's second album, but two times proved to be the charm as the 10-song set made the group worldwide stars. They also had a bit of help from MTV, which gave the “Round And Round” video (featuring a great cameo from Milton Berle) plenty of play in 1984. But the collection has much more to it than that #12 hit single; catchy choruses abound on such originals as “Wanted Man,” “Back For More” and “I'm Insane,” and Stephen Pearcy's raspy vocals coupled with lead guitarist Warren DeMartini's insistent licks make OUT OF THE CELLAR damn near irresistible. The triple-platinum smash is surely Ratt's finest hour, and one of the definitive albums from the days of spandex and big hair...
Ray of Light (Album of the Day)
“I was interested in fusing a kind of futuristic sound but also using lots of Indian and Moroccan influences and things like that, and I wanted it to sound old and new at the same time,” noted Madonna of RAY OF LIGHT. Coming four years after her last proper studio album, the 1998 Maverick collection was the performer's most mature and personal to date, reflecting both her recent spiritual explorations and the vocal training she'd undergone for the role of Evita. More importantly, the set is a successful reinvention of her sound, with producer William Orbit enlisted to guide Madonna into techno/electronica territory. The set spun off five singles, with “Frozen” and the title track both reaching the U.S. Top 10 and “The Power of Good-Bye” just missing it; the album as a whole went quadruple-platinum and earned four Grammy Awards. Greeted with near-universal acclaim upon release, RAY OF LIGHT still stands as one of Madonna's shining achievements.
Pleased to Meet Me (Album of the Day)
The cover image of The Replacements' 5th studio collection is a telling one: PLEASED TO MEET ME has one foot in the door and the other one in the gutter, with the spirit of the Minneapolis band's punk roots given a newfound polish and a willingness to explore other genres. If longtime fans bemoaned the absence of anarchic guitarist Bob Stinson, the 1987 Sire collection more than compensates with Paul Westerberg's best-ever set of songs. The 11 originals range from the harrowing "The Ledge" to the aching beauty of "Skyway" to the propulsive "Alex Chilton" (about the Big Star guitarist, who guests here on "Can't Hardly Wait"). Recorded in Memphis' Ardent Studios with producer Jim Dickinson, the near-unimprovable PLEASED TO MEET ME is an album any alternative rock fan will be pleased to hear.
Trio (Remastered) (Album of the Day)
Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt had each established distinguished singing careers by the mid-1970s when they resolved to record together. The demands of separate careers (and three different record labels) delayed an album release for more than a decade, but TRIO was well worth the wait. The platinum-selling 1987 collection included four country hits among its 11 tracks (a remake of The Teddy Bears' oldie “To Know Him Is To Love Him” being the most successful), and brought the trio a pair of Grammy Awards. With an outstanding mix of traditional and more recent songs and stellar instrumental support from the likes of Ry Cooder, David Lindley and Little Feat's Bill Payne, TRIO remains one of the most delightful pop/country confections ever created.
All the Right Reasons (Album of the Day)
Nickelback is among the most successful rock bands from Canada, and ALL THE RIGHT REASONS is one of the reasons; the diamond-certified 2005 collection was one of Billboard's 20 biggest-selling albums of the decade. The quartet deliver exactly what fans want on these 11 originals while still branching out from the post-grunge rock they cut their teeth on, and the set's singles include three Top 10 hits: “Far Away,” “Photograph” and “Rockstar.” If frontman Chad Kroeger sounds a little more reflective on these tracks and the instrumental palette more varied than on past efforts, the album still packs a punch, with 3 Doors Down drummer Daniel Adair joining the lineup and tough guitar riffs from ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Pantera's Dimebag Darrell (who is sampled on the tribute song “Side of a Bullet”). The chart-topping ALL THE RIGHT REASONS is reason enough to put Nickelback on your playlist.
Pandemonium (Album of the Day)
Pet Shop Boys made a triumphant stop at London's O2 Arena in December 2009, and the concert was released a few months later as PANDEMONIUM. The second live album from the synth-pop duo features an appealing mix of songs from their latest studio album, YES, obscurities like “Two Divided by Zero” and a generous selection of hits including “Always on My Mind,” “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” and “West End Girls.” The cover art hints at the innovative presentation (in which video screens were built up and rearranged on stage), and it's clear from these performances that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were as excited as their audience with how it all turned out. The U.K. hitmakers will head back out on the road later this year, but in the meantime you can enjoy PANDEMONIUM.
Kettle Whistle (Album of the Day)
When L.A. alternative rockers Jane's Addiction returned to performing for their 1997 “Relapse” tour, Warner Bros. marked the occasion with the release of KETTLE WHISTLE. An odds & sods compilation of demos, live and rare cuts, the 15-song set includes two new recordings: “So What!” and the title track (both of which feature Flea on bass). But most of this material hails from the group's late-'80s heyday, with alternate versions of such classics as “Been Caught Stealing” and “Mountain Song” joined by more than 20 minutes of a Hollywood Palladium concert that shows why the band remains legendary. A treasure trove for fans, the gold-certified KETTLE WHISTLE captures Jane's Addiction at full boil.