Content tagged ''
The Reason Why I'm Talking Shit (Album of the Day)
After-hours clubs are a great place to catch a jazz gig or a comedy set – or in the case of THE REASON WHY I'M TALKING SHIT, a little bit of both. Eddie Harris' penultimate album for Atlantic after 10 years on the label was recorded at cafes, clubs and lounges on tour in Minneapolis, Evanston, Milwaukee and Redondo Beach, and focuses on the saxophonist's pre-performance monologues. The quintet he leads is in fine funky form and can be heard on a few songs (“Brother Soul,” “The Aftermath”), but the bulk of the 1976 collection is Harris' funny, often X-rated, observations on modern life, the music business and more. A fascinating curio, THE REASON WHY I'M TALKING SHIT captures one of the greats of modern jazz letting his hair down.
You Don't Mess Around With Jim (Album of the Day)
Producers Terry Cashman and Tommy West knew a good thing when they heard it; they shopped Jim Croce's YOU DON'T MESS AROUND WITH JIM to dozens of labels before ABC picked it up. The 1972 collection, Croce's third following a couple of small label releases, proved the charm for the amiable singer-songwriter, spinning off a Top Ten single in the comic title track and another hit in the heartfelt ballad “Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels).” Also among the dozen originals here is the classic “Time In A Bottle,” which was issued after Croce's untimely death and topped the singles chart on this day in 1973 - helping push YOU DON'T MESS AROUND WITH JIM to No.1 on the U.S. album chart.
The Monkees (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
When The Monkees premiered on NBC-TV in 1966, the results were magical; Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were a barrel of fun onscreen, and the music – penned by some of the top songwriters in the business – stands with the most engaging pop-rock of the decade. Among the dozen songs on the band's self-titled debut are “I Wanna Be Free,” “Papa Gene's Blues” and the smash hit “Last Train To Clarksville.” The Deluxe Edition of the set adds 17 bonus tracks including then-unreleased songs, alternate and TV versions, demos, ads and more. Both Davy and Mike were born on this day, and we'll celebrate the shared birthday with another spin of THE MONKEES.
Slipping Out (Album of the Day)
A few years after taking the pop world by storm with “Disco Inferno,” Philly funk favorites The Trammps shifted gears slightly for SLIPPING OUT. The 1980 Atlantic collection was recorded in New York with fellow R&B hitmakers Mass Production handling production duties as well as supplying songs and instrumental support. Though there are plenty of uptempo numbers like “Looking For You” to help disco fans shake their booty, the ballads sung by Robert Upchurch (opener “Loveland,” “I Don't Want to Ever Lose Your Love”) and Jimmy Ellis (“Our Thought (Slipping Away)”) are just as impressive. We're SLIPPING OUT of 2020 with The Trammps tonight, in the hope that the New Year will be better than the old one...
Seal (1991) (Album of the Day)
Born in London as Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel, Seal went straight to the top of the U.K. chart with his eponymous 1991 debut; the collection would later win Best British Album at the Brit Awards. But its appeal went way beyond the singer-songwriter's native England, thanks to such striking singles as “Killer,” “Future Love Paradise” and Top 10 smash “Crazy.” While producer Trevor Horn incorporates club-friendly beats and electro moves on the Sire set, his arrangements also provide Seal with an epic sonic stage on which to strut, and the vocalist makes the most of it. The first track on SEAL is, appropriately enough, “The Beginning,” and we'll make the platinum-certified album our first of 2021 – Happy New Year to you!
Power, Corruption, & Lies Definitive (Album of the Day)
While traces of their Joy Division past can still be heard on POWER, CORRUPTION AND LIES, the 1983 collection marks the emergence of New Order as a great band in its own right. Recorded at Britannia Row Studios, Islington, the self-produced set mixes irresistible pop melodies, adventurous synthesizer sequences and danceable grooves on eight originals including such standouts as club classic “Age of Consent,” “The Village” and “Your Silent Face.” Now available, the new 1-LP/2-CD/2-DVD Definitive Edition of the album includes the remastered original, a disc of previously unreleased writing sessions and BBC recordings as well as rare live & TV performances. This is New Order frontman Bernard Sumner's birthday, and we'll wish him a happy one with another spin of POWER, CORRUPTION AND LIES.
TikTok Christmas (Album of the Day)
The latest technological innovation to send waves through the music industry is TikTok, whose billion-plus young users can create, comment on and share short videos on the app. Many of those videos feature music prominently, driving songs both old and new up the chart, and in that spirit we offer you TIKTOK CHRISTMAS. The new playlist is as diverse as the service's user base, ranging from vintage doo wop (The Drifters' “White Christmas”), country (Kenny Rogers' “Little Drummer Boy”) and classic rock (Pretenders' “2000 Miles”) to more contemporary holiday fare from Sia, CeeLo Green, Lily Allen and others. Many of these 49 songs have been TikTok trendsetters, but here you'll get full versions rather than 15-second snippets. We wish you a merry TIKTOK CHRISTMAS!
Rag Doll (Album of the Day)
Vocal group greats The Four Seasons rose to the challenge of the British invasion with RAG DOLL. The 1964 collection was the group's first of all-original material, and songwriter Bob Gaudio really delivers - Top 10 singles “Ronnie,” “Save It for Me” and the classic title track (inspired by a poor girl he'd seen on the streets of Manhattan) are just the tip of the iceberg. Frankie Valli and his fellow Seasons are in terrific voice throughout, and Bob Crewe's adventurous, dynamic production shows him on par with Phil Spector. Track for track, RAG DOLL is perhaps the strongest studio album of The Four Seasons' career, and we'll give it another spin now to wish Gaudio a happy birthday.
Love Songs (2020 Remix) (Album of the Day)
Whitesnake brings together some of the most-passionate music of its multi-platinum career on LOVE SONGS, a new collection that contains remixed and remastered versions of the group’s best love songs. The second release in the band’s “Red, White and Blues Trilogy,” the new collection includes a mix of hits and deep tracks that were originally released between 1987 and 2011 on five Whitesnake studio albums and David Coverdale’s third solo album, Into the LIGHT. “Pretty much all the songs I write are love songs in some way, shape or form,” notes band founder Coverdale. “Not all are ballads. Some are out-and-out rockers with powerful romantic themes … and of course … include heavy breathing in all of them!” Among the 15 tracks on LOVE SONGS are such Whitesnake favorites as “Is This Love,” “The Deeper The Love” and “Now You’re Gone.”
People Never Give Up (Album of the Day)
When Curtis Mayfield launched his solo career 50 years ago, America was at a crossroads as the revolt of the 1960s laid the groundwork for both progress and protest in the 1970s. The intense divisions in today’s political climate underline the relevance of Curtis’ music, highlighted in the new digital release PEOPLE NEVER GIVE UP. Curated by the Mayfield family and Rhino, the 13-track collection of Curtis Mayfield’s Civil Rights-era songs is a rich assemblage of culturally-important music that symbolizes an era of great social change, and stands as a reminder that the “People Have The Power.” Including such classics as “People Get Ready,” “We’re A Winner” and “We Got To Have Peace,” PEOPLE NEVER GIVE UP salutes the “gentle genius” whose music inspired such political leaders as John Lewis and Andrew Young and such fellow performers as Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin and Elton John.